Indie digital rights organization Merlin has announced the participants for its third annual Merlin Engage program, which is designed to help promote and support female leaders in the independent music industry. Over a six-month period, the program connects young women aspiring to careers in the music business with senior leaders within it, and this year it will expand to include community building.

Related

The program, which began in 2023, saw a 70% increase in nominees for participation over last year. Mentees are offered one-on-one sessions with their mentors, receive peer support from other participants in the program and have the opportunity to go to skill-building workshops, according to a press release. Harvard Institute of Coaching fellow Miriam Meima will also return as program facilitator for a second year.

“The power of Merlin Engage goes beyond mentorship — it’s about building a community where women across the Merlin membership can find support, encouragement and guidance as they build their careers in the music industry,” Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud that we continue to expand this program, the commitment to mentor from our most senior leaders, and support from the entire Merlin Board in driving positive change within the industry.”

This year, mentors will include executives from companies like Exceleration, EMPIRE, Secretly, Domino, Beggars, Ninja Tune, Epitaph, BMG and more; mentees hail from companies like IDOL, OneRPM, Hopeless Records, Stones Throw Records, Better Noise, Sub Pop and Nettwerk. (A full list of mentors and mentees is below.) Merlin consultant Dan Nevin is also returning to help support the program.

“It’s incredibly important to support, encourage and empower women to expand their career paths in the music industry,” said Liz Erman — managing director at Nettwerk Music Group and a former mentee who is returning to the program this year as a mentor — in a statement. “We have so much to contribute and can elevate the level of success of any company if we can access the right leadership opportunities. I hope that by sharing my experiences and guidance, I can help others reach their goals more easily.”

Related

Another former mentee, Exceleration Music digital operations manager Larissa Woss, called the program “a transformative experience” in a statement. “My mentor truly listened to me, taking the time to understand my challenges and goals, which gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career,” Woss said. “Equally valuable was the incredible network of people I connected with. This program is not just about developing skills — it’s about fostering a supportive, empowered generation of female leaders in the independent music industry. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Below is the full list of participants this year.

Mentors: Amy Dietz (Partner, Exceleration), Anne Jenniskens (General Manager, Paradise), Bria Fisher (VP of Communications, EMPIRE), Chloé van Bergen (VP Operations, UK & EU, Secretly), Clare McKinney (Director, Commercial and Business Affairs, Domino), Dionna Johnson (VP of Marketing, EMPIRE), Emma Lomas (Head of Licensing & Creative, Beggars), Eniko Gallasz (Managing Director, WMMusicDistribution), Liz Erman (Managing Director, Nettwerk), Marie Clausen (Managing Director, US, Ninja Tune), Megan Jasper (CEO, Sub Pop), Narin Karadaghi (General Counsel, Amuse), Nitsa Kalispera (EVP Global Recorded Music Supply Chain Operations, BMG), Patra Sinner (General Counsel, Symphonic) and Sue Lucarelli (President, Epitaph).

Mentees: Allison Kleshefsky (DSP Editorial & Partnerships Lead – Americas, IDOL), Diana Schweinbeck (Senior Director, Artist & Label Services, Cinq Music, USA), Dominique de Solminihac (Artist Marketing Manager South Cone, ONErpm), Francesca Caldara (Vice President, Recorded Music, UNIFIED), Gianna Archetti (Head of Operations, iGroove), Jovana Medic (Director of IDJTV/Director, IDJDigital), Lexie Viklund (Director of A&R, Better Noise), Lisa Riepe (Head of Sales & Marketing, Zebralution), Maiko Okabe (Global Campaign Manager, Warp Records), Maya Kalev (Label Manager, UK & Europe, Stones Throw Records), Naomi Bressani (Head of Digital, Republic of Music), Nele Knueppel (Director, Digital Rights & Distribution, Nettwerk Music Group), Nicole Abea (Director of Influencer & UGC Promotions, Marketing/Promo, Hopeless Records), Phoebe Petridis (Senior Manager, Digital Operations and Technology, Domino Recording), and Rachel White (Director of Audience Development (Marketing), Sub Pop Records).

Queen City music fans will have to wait a while to see Janet Jackson after the pop star announced on Thursday (March 20) that due to “personal matters” she will not be headlining the second night of this summer’s Cincinnati Music Festival.

“To all my Cincinnati Music Festival fans…. I’m so sorry that I won’t be able to be with you all in July. Some personal matters have come up and I am unable to attend. I look forward to seeing you all soon!” Jackson, 58, said in a statement shared by promoters.

Jackson — who previously headlined the festival in 2022 — was slated to headline on July 26 at Paycor Stadium on a bill that also includes Lucky Daye, 112, The Bar-Kays and a tribute to one of the event’s most beloved perennial stars, late R&B legend Maze frontman Frankie Beverly featuring the TMF Band (formerly Maze) feat. Jubu, as well as special guests Ronald Isley, Joe, After 7, Dave Hollister and Raheem DeVaughn.

“We just learned that Janet Jackson is unable to perform at the 2025 Cincinnati Music Festival presented by P&G due to personal matters,” the event’s promoters said in a statement. “Festival organizers are working quickly to fill her spot on the lineup.”

Night one of this year’s show (July 25) will be headlined by Earth, Wind & Fire and also feature Anthony Hamilton, PJ Morton, Jazmine Sullivan and a Zapp Band tribute to the King Records legacy featuring Dreion. The beloved summertime classic that draws fans from across the country first took place in 1959 in French Lick, IN with a lineup that included the Miles David Quintet, Duke Ellington’s Big Band, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughn.

It has changed names, and profiles, over the years, but has always remained one of the calendar highlights for both the city and music lovers.

After moving to Cincinnati in 1962, it began to shift from a jazz-focused gathering to one that also incorporated a wide range of blues, R&B and soul, featuring such 1970s headliners as Roberta Flack, Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye. In the 1980s and 90s it welcomed everyone from Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross, to New Edition, Natalie Cole and Patti LaBelle.

Though the 2000s have continued to focus on those genres with sets from D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Fantasia, Maxwell, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott and hometown hero Bootsy Collins, in recent years it has added a third night of programming at the adjacent Brady Music Center spotlighting hip-hop. This year’s opening night will feature sets from Scarface, Goodie Mob, the Sugarhill Gang and Young MC.

While Jackson will not be back this year, at press time the singer’s official site still listed a run of six weekend residency shows at the Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas between May 21-31.

It’s been a long road from Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red to Music. King Vamp ended the drought with his first album in four-plus years on March 14.

Related

The loaded 30-track album features superstar guests from The Weeknd to Travis Scott, and showcases Carti’s full artistic repertoire. Billboard Unfiltered returned on Wednesday (March 19) with a new episode covering Carti’s new LP from all angles.

“I think this Music album is probably the best showcase of all the different sides to Carti,” staff writer Kyle Denis said. “You get his pop sensibility side on records like ‘Backr00ms,’ and you get some of the rage rap stuff … I love how throw-everything-at-the-wall it was.”

Denis “sighed” every time Travis Scott popped up for a feature. “The best Travis verse for me that was on ‘Backr00ms,’ and that one wasn’t on the album,” he added. “I love how Kendrick kind of slid into Carti’s world. I think that was the highlight for me, seeing him adapt to the vamp stuff.”

Denis “had a great time with Music,” but thinks that it was way too long at 30 tracks. “There’s a great 16-track album hidden somewhere,” he said.

Music is expected to debut atop the Billboard 200, and all 30 tracks could possibly enter next week’s Billboard Hot 100.

Senior charts and data analyst Trevor Anderson highlighted “Evil J0rdan” as when the album really started to take off for him, and noted Kendrick Lamar’s performance in Carti’s world holding his own. “I think he does a good job of playing in the background, but obviously making his presence known,” he said.

He wonders if Carti can have that pop breakthrough run as a hitmaker, but couldn’t land on one track he thought would take off. “‘Rather Lie’ could be a radio record,” Denis said. “Both Kendrick joints will probably do fine. ‘Fine Shit’ is one that popped out to me.”

Related

Lizzo returned last week with her “Still Bad” single as she plots her comeback for 2025. That didn’t come without an X rant, in which she clapped back at haters of the track and called out the mistreatment of Black women artists.

“This is not the first time she has had records that haven’t connected. Right after ‘About Damn Time,’ she tried to push ‘To Be Loved,’ and that didn’t really pop off in a way remotely comparable to ‘About Damn Time.’ I don’t think the culture’s moved beyond corny pop songs,” Denis said. “There’s always going to be an audience for that.”

Watch the full episode above.

On March 29, Billboard will hold the 19th annual Women in Music awards at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Honorees include cover star Erykah Badu, JENNIE and many more, including Doechii as Woman of the Year. In advance of this year’s event, we are looking at some of the most in-demand live performers of the decade.

But while the Boxscore charts are most often dominated by the biggest music stars of pop, country, Latin and more, the women of stand-up comedy are making inroads as they graduate from clubs to theaters to arenas. Here, we celebrate Billboard Boxscore’s top 10 highest-grossing women in comedy across the 2020s so far.

The women on this list are road warriors. Relative to pop stars, comedians typically have less production and travel with fewer crew members. This opens schedules to pack in tons of shows over the course of a tour. In many cases, they are performing multiple shows per night and could string together a full week of dates without a break.

In between shooting their own films, television series and various other projects such as Comedy Central roasts and award show gigs, these 10 acts have pounded the pavement and performed for tens of thousands of fans, at least. Combined, they’ve reported more than 1,200 shows and sold 2.4 million tickets since 2020 — even more impressive considering the first two years of this decade were nearly blacked out due to COVID-19.

Keep reading for the 10 highest-grossing women in comedy, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Totals include gross and attendance for all reported shows dating back to Jan. 1, 2020, current through March 20, 2025.

As two short blonde hitmakers, Dolly Parton and Sabrina Carpenter have a lot in common. But they also have some key differences, and according to the country legend, there were a couple things the pair had to agree on before she signed on to do the 25-year-old pop star’s “Please Please Please” remix earlier this year.

Related

In an interview with Knox News published March 18, Parton had nothing but praise for Carpenter — even if the “Espresso” singer does “talk a little bad now and then.”

“I told her, I said, ‘Now, I don’t cuss,’” continued the “9 to 5” singer. “‘I don’t make fun of Jesus. I don’t talk bad about God, and I don’t say dirty words on camera, but known to if I get mad enough.’”

Those ground rules led the Girl Meets World alum to scrap the famous “motherf–ker” bomb from the chorus of “Please Please Please” for her version with Parton, with the pair instead singing the much cleaner line, “I beg you, don’t embarrass me like the others.”

When Carpenter first announced in February that she and Parton would be teaming up, the former wrote on Instagram, “and yes that does say featuring Miss Dolly Parton…. 💋💋💋she wouldn’t want me to swear but holy s–t!!!!!”

Related

“She was so sweet,” Parton added of Carpenter in the interview before praising two of her other recent collaborators. “And Beyoncé’s great, and Miley [Cyrus], you know I love her. So, I’m just having fun with all of it.”

The Dollywood founder made a cameo on the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer’s Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter, which also featured Bey’s updated version of Parton’s “Jolene.” Parton and the “Flowers” artist have worked together a number of times, with the godmother-goddaughter duo recently releasing a duet version of Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” for the country icon’s 2023 Rockstar album.

As for which modern star she wants to work with next, Parton said, “Whoever calls me that I like … I’ll I say, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that!’”

Her conversation with Knox News marks one of the Tennessee native’s first interviews since the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away a few weeks prior at the age of 82. At the time, Parton wrote in a statement, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.”

During the interview, Parton shared an update on how she’s faring since the loss. “I’m doing better than I thought I would,” she said. “I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.”

“I’m at peace that he’s at peace,” she added. “But that don’t keep me from missing and loving him.”

As 1995 began, Madonna was still an A-plus-list superstar and one of the most famous people in the world — but she was no longer at the absolute center of pop music. A half decade of increasingly controversial (though often brilliant) albums, singles, videos, movies and appearances had left the public divided and unsure about the Queen of Pop’s standing, while the dance-pop she’d conquered the world with in the ’80s had fallen out of fashion in a top 40 landscape dominated by alt-rock, hip-hop and R&B. But ’95 saw her reclaim her radio supremacy, while still taking huge artistic chances and pivoting to a more mature cross-platform star persona — though hardly all at the same time.

In this week’s Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Keith Caulfield, Billboard‘s Managing Director of Charts & Data Operations (and co-host of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, and longtime M disciple) to express ourselves and not repress ourselves about Madonna’s incredibly fascinating 1995. We pick up mid-Bedtime Stories rollout with Madonna, as she improbably scores the biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit of her entire storied career, and we make it through her LP’s experimental final two singles (and their rather notable music videos), through getting cast in the film role of a lifetime, through the ’95 Video Music Awards, and finally end with her Something to Remember era, while she preps the world for a year of Oscar campaigning.

In the meantime, we brace the most important questions about La M as she reached the midpoint of her 1990s: Which super-cool-and-acclaimed European act made for better Madonna collaborators, Björk or Massive Attack? Why does nobody remember that “Take a Bow” was her longest-running No. 1? Should “Human Nature” have been a bigger hit? Was Evita worth shutting down her mid-’90s touring plans for? Did she really deserve a Razzie for her Four Rooms appearance? And of course: How did she fare in her infamous interview showdown with Courtney Love following the ’95 VMAs?

Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from Madonna’s 1995, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights. (Madonna would want you to!)

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider subscribing to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed, and giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.

Regional Mexican superstar Gerardo Ortiz testified against Ángel del Villar, the CEO of his former label Del Records, on Wednesday (March 19) in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom. The West Coast-based executive’s criminal trial began on Tuesday where he is accused of doing business with a concert promoter linked to Mexican drug cartels.

The trial follows a 2022 criminal complaint that charged Del Villar, among other defendants, with conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The complaint also alleged that on April 19, 2018, FBI agents approached Ortiz in Phoenix to inform him about Jesus “Chucho” Pérez Alvear’s designation under the Kingpin Act. Mexican concert promoter Pérez Alvear — who was killed in 2024 — ran a company called Gallistica Diamente (Ticket Premier) and until March 2019, promoted concerts in Mexico for DEL Entertainment.

Related

The designation prohibited Ortiz from conducting business with Pérez and performing concerts that Pérez promoted. Prosecutors claim that the música mexicna hitmaker went on to perform concerts organized by Pérez after Del Villar “convinced” Ortiz to “ignore the FBI warning.”

Ortiz — who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in the case and is cooperating with the FBI — took the stand and told the jury he saw Pérez Alvear with Del Villar at the Del Records office in Los Angeles two or three times, according to Univision Noticias. He added that Pérez Alvear was at the office to hire bands and artists to perform at his shows in Mexico. He went on to confess that he had performed at Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico in April 2018, promoted by Pérez Alvear, even after he had already been designated under the Kingpin Act and FBI agents had alerted him that if he performed at the Feria, he could face up to 10 years in prison and pay a fine of $1 million — which is why he was charged initially.

The “Dámaso” singer — who signed to Del Records in 2009 and parted ways with the company in 2019 amid a contract dispute — testified a day after the trial began where Del Villar’s lawyers argued in the opening statements that the Latin music executive was allegedly “manipulated” by former Del Records employee Brian Gutiérrez who “convinced” Del Villar that “everything” the company was doing was “legally acceptable,” according to reports by Rolling Stone.

“There is something deeply wrong and manipulative about how this case was created and investigated,” Del Villar’s defense lawyer Marissa Goldberg said on Tuesday. “The ones who actually created this crime, who manufactured it, are not sitting as defendants, which is even more deeply wrong.”

Founded by Del Villar in 2008, Del Records is considered a powerhouse in regional Mexican music. The label has been música mexicana giants including Ortiz, Ariel Camacho and Eslabon Armado, whose global hit, “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma, became one of the biggest songs of 2023.

Passed in 1999, the Kingpin Act allows the U.S. to impose targeted sanctions on foreign individuals involved in the illegal drug trade and ban U.S. residents from doing business with them. If convicted of violating the law, Del Villar would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

After announcing last week that his upcoming fourth studio album, I’m The Problem, was “officially done,” Morgan Wallen revealed the released date for the project on Thursday morning (March 20). The news came via an Instagram post featuring footage of the singer in the studio with the title track playing as a hand sketches his profile for the cover of the LP due out on May 16.

The album’s release will coincide with the singer’s upcoming Sand in My Boots Festival in Gulf Shores, AL on May 16-18.

“I have been a problem, for sure, and I’ve got no problem admitting that,” Wallen said in a statement. “But there are other sides to me as well. I’ve spent the last 11 months really trying to figure out, ‘Do I still want to be the problem? Is it time to move past that phase in my life?’ I think it probably is, and this might be the last time I get a chance to honestly say it.”

According to a release, Wallen spent nearly a year writing and honing the tracklist on a farm outside of Nashville with his crew of collaborators that includes producers Joey Moi and Charlie Handsome, boiling down the sessions into a collection that combines “Wallen’s country, cross and dirt-rock influences” while also taking inventory of “where he’s been and where he’s headed — and not shying away from the past.”

The street date reveal set up fans for the release of two news songs on Thursday night, the previously teased contemplative ballad “Just in Case,” written by Wallen, John Byron, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ryan Vojtesak, Josh Thompson, Blake Pendergrass and Alex Bak and world-gone-mad serenade “I’m a Little Crazy.” The latter was written by Michael Hardy, Smith Ahnquist, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers, with both songs produced by Moi, with Handsome co-producing “Just in Case.”

I’m the Problem is the follow-up to Wallen’s hit LPs 2021’s Dangerous: The Double Album — which spent 10 weeks atop the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart — and 2023’s One Thing at a Time, which spent 19 total weeks at the top of the chart. In the run-up to the release, Wallen has previewed several songs, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Love Somebody,” as well as “Lies Lies Lies,” “Smile” and the title track; at press time the full track listing for the album has not yet been announced.

Wallen will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on March 29 along with host Oscar-winning Anora star Mikey Madison.

Check out Wallen’s album announce video below.

After months of slowly teasing fans with new music, Eric Church will return with his new album on May 2, when he releases Evangeline Vs. the Machine. The eight-song album marks his first release since 2021’s Heart & Soul triple project, and judging from the songs the upcoming album has already yielded, the project promises to be one of Church’s most creative and introspective to date.

“An album is a snapshot in time that lasts for all time,” Church said in a statement. “I believe in that time-tested tradition of making records that live and breathe as one piece of art — I think it’s important. I’ve always let creativity be the muse. It’s been a compass for me. The people that I look up to in my career and the kind of musicians I gravitate to never did what I thought they were going to do next — and I love them for it. I never want our fans to get an album and go, ‘Oh, that’s like Chief or that’s like this.’ Painstakingly, I lose sleep at night to try to make sure that whatever we do creatively, they go, ‘Wow, that’s not what I thought.’ I think that’s my job as an artist.”

As with his previous projects, the new album features a mix of solo writes and collaborative efforts. Church has writing collaborations with several top-shelf songwriters, including Casey Beathard, Scooter Carusoe and Luke Laird, while also contributing three solo writes.

The project’s lead radio single, “Hands of Time,” impacts country radio on March 24. “As I get older, I’m looking for things that make me feel not as old,” Church said of the song via a statement. “I can honestly say that when I hear music or see something from my past, I feel like I did then; I relate to what it was then. I really believe that a good way to handle that is with music.”

in February, Church previewed another song from the album, “Johnny,” at the Country Radio Seminar during the annual UMG Nashville showcase at the Ryman Auditorium. The song is a reinterpretation inspired by The Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and also inspired by the tragic school shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School in 2023.

The album also features “Darkest Hour,” which Church previously released to raise funds to aid those impacted by Hurricane Helene, with all of Church’s publishing royalties on the song going to aid those in his homestate of North Carolina.

The album closes with a cover of Tom Waits’s “Clap Hands.”

See the full tracklist for Church’s Evangeline Vs. The Machine below:

  1. “Hands of Time” (Eric Church, Scooter Carusoe)
  2. “Bleed on Paper” (Tucker Beathard, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
  3. “Johnny” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Brett Warren)
  4. “Storm In Their Blood” (Eric Church)
  5. “Darkest Hour” (Eric Church)
  6. “Evangeline” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
  7. “Rocket’s White Lincoln” (Eric Church)
  8. “Clap Hands” (Tom Waits)

Mariah Carey has won a federal court ruling dismissing a copyright lawsuit over her perennial holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas is You” – a decision that cited an expert who said the songs mostly just shared “Christmas song clichés.”

In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani rejected allegations from songwriter Vince Vance that Carey and others had stolen key elements of her Christmas blockbuster from his 1989 song of the same name.

Ruling that Vance had failed to show that the songs were similar enough to violate copyright law, the judge cited analysis by a musicologist who said the two tracks were “very different songs” that shared only “commonplace Christmas song clichés” that had been used in many earlier tracks.

“Plaintiffs have not met their burden of showing that [the songs by] Carey and Vance are substantially similar under the extrinsic test,” Ramírez Almadani wrote, using the legal term for how courts assess such allegations.

Related

The judge not only tossed out Vance’s case, but also ruled that he and his lawyers should be punished for filing “frivolous” arguments. Calling it “egregious” conducted that aimed to “cause unnecessary delay and needlessly increase the costs of litigation,” the judge ordered that Vance and his lawyers to repay the legal bills Carey incurred defending those arguments.

Vance (real name Andy Stone) first sued Carey in 2022, claiming “All I Want” infringed the copyrights to a 1989 song of the exact same name recorded by his Vince Vance and the Valiants. Vance claimed that the earlier track received “extensive airplay” during the 1993 holiday season — a year before Carey released her now-better-known hit.

“Carey has … palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own,” Vance wrote in his latest complaint. “Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun.”

Vance’s allegations were a big deal because Carey’s song is big business. The 1994 blockbuster, which became even more popular after it was featured in the 2003 holiday rom-com Love Actually, has re-taken the top spot on the Hot 100 for six straight years and earned a whopping $8.5 million in global revenue in 2022.

Related

Carey’s attorneys asked the judge to end the case last year, arguing that the two songs shared only generic similarities that are firmly in the public domain – including basic Christmas terminology and a simple message that’s been used in “legions of Christmas songs.”

“The claimed similarities are an unprotectable jumble of elements: a title and hook phrase used by many earlier Christmas songs, other commonplace words, phrases, and Christmas tropes like ‘Santa Claus’ and ‘mistletoe,’ and a few unprotectable pitches and chords randomly scattered throughout these completely different songs,” Carey’s attorneys wrote at the time.

In Wednesday’s ruling, Ramírez Almadani granted that motion by endorsing two reports from musicologists hired by Carey’s lawyers that strongly rejected Vance’s allegations. In one report, New York University professor Lawrence Ferrara testified that he had found “at least 19 songs” that incorporated the same lyrical idea as “All I Want” that had been released prior to Vance’s track.

“[Vance] and [Carey] in their entirety are very different songs and the only element of similarity is the use of a common lyrical idea and Christmas song clichés that were in common use prior to [Vance],” Ferrara wrote in the report that the judge cited.

Vance’s attorneys submitted their own expert reports supporting his allegations, but the judge rejected them as evidence – saying that one was “not based on sufficient facts or data” and was “not the product of reliable principles and methods” as required by existing legal precedents.

Neither side immediately returned requests for comment.