David Bisbal chatted with Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026.
Boutique music rights company MusicBird acquired the master royalty income of musician Dougie Thomson’s recordings with the band Supertramp, in which he served as bassist for more than 15 years. The deal includes hit tracks like “Goodbye Stranger,” “Give a Little Bit” and “Breakfast in America.”
Paul Brown, CEO of MusicBird, said in a statement: “We have ambitious growth plans and are continuing to build momentum, converting our deal pipeline, while staying true to our investment strategy with a laser focus on brilliant music. With enduring global popularity spanning more than half a century, Dougie’s catalogue further diversifies our collection of music rights across different eras and geographies, as well as bringing the weight of truly stratospheric commercial success to our collection.
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“As an integral part of one of the most successful bands of all time, Dougie’s career is a rare combination of creative impact, longevity and cultural influence at the highest level of popular music,” Brown added. Supertramp’s music continues to find new fans and opportunities for success, and we are excited to be part of that ongoing journey.”
Said Thomson: “I am immensely proud of the music I recorded with Supertramp and am grateful that so many people are still listening to and discovering it now. The MusicBird team has genuine care for this music, and I am pleased to entrust them with my interest in the catalogue.”
Check out more recent music deals below, including a Futures Music Group fundraise, a PopArabia acquisition and a Bandsintown/Amazon Music integration.
Lola Índigo chatted with Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026.
Julieta Venegas chatted with Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026.
Chiquis chatted with Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026.
JOY chatted with Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz ahead of Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026.
The Recording Academy convened music creators, industry leaders and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., this week for its 25th Grammys on the Hill initiative. The three-day event ran from April 21-23.
“Grammys on the Hill represents the core of the Recording Academy’s year-round work to advocate for music people and ensure their rights are safeguarded in our culture,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “As we mark 25 years of Grammys on the Hill, we are reminded that music creators must remain at the center of every conversation shaping the future of the industry, especially as AI and other emerging technologies continue to transform it.”
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On Tuesday (April 21), more than 200 Recording Academy members, industry leaders and members of Congress gathered at The Hamilton Live in downtown Washington, D.C., for the Grammys on the Hill Awards, which honored Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) for their bipartisan work to protect musicians as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the music industry. They are champions of the NO FAKES Act, legislation that would establish federal protections against unauthorized AI-generated replicas of a person’s voice and likeness.
“Today, too many artists have had their intellectual property, likenesses and livelihoods stolen by online pirates and AI artists,” said Sen. Coons. “I’m proud to be spearheading efforts in Congress to safeguard your ideas and creativity because what you do cannot be replaced. As a Senator, I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world and have seen how American music helps people see us, understand us, and believe in our American dream.”
“I’m truly honored to be recognized by the Recording Academy, a distinction that underscores the vital role music creators play in shaping our culture and economy,” said Rep. Salazar. “At a time of rapid technological change, protecting the voices, rights and livelihoods of artists is more important than ever. I remain committed to advancing policies like No Fakes Act to ensure creators are respected, their work is protected, and their likeness is never exploited.”
Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, held on Wednesday (April 22), brought artists, songwriters, producers and other music advocates to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing creators today: the impact of AI on the music community. As AI reshapes the music landscape, the Recording Academy is advocating for policies that ensure human creators are protected, credited and fairly compensated. Artists including Durand Bernarr, Grace Potter, Israel Houghton, Maggie Rose and Molly Tuttle met with lawmakers including Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Jason Smith (R-MO), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) to discuss the importance of the NO FAKES Act, as well as the TRAIN Act and the CLEAR Act.
Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day also included a roundtable briefing focused on AI and the future of music with Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Peter Welch (D-VT). The day concluded with a reception on Capitol Hill hosted by the Academy’s Black Music Collective, in cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus, to honor the enduring influence of Black music. The reception featured a performance by Bernarr, who won his first Grammy in February: best progressive R&B album for BLOOM. It also featured a presentation of a $10,000 donation from Amazon Music and the co-chairs of the Black Music Collective to Howard University as recipients of the 2026 “Your Future Is Now” music equipment grant.
Grammys on the Hill concluded on Thursday (April 23) with the third annual Future Forum, a conference convening music creators, industry leaders and policymakers for discussions on the most pressing issues shaping the music industry. Future Forum featured a keynote conversation with Mason and Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, exploring how the creative community and industry leaders can work together to face the challenges presented by AI.
Dr. Chelsey Green, chair of the Recording Academy board of trustees, led a panel on the role of music education in preparing the next generation for the future. Other programming included a panel presented with the Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing on how artists are using AI in the recording studio.
Since its inception, Grammys on the Hill has led to several major legislative victories, including the landmark Music Modernization Act in 2018 and the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act in 2022.
Kevin Hart is cautious when it comes to Cam’ron‘s interview style — and rightfully so, because the Harlem rapper isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions.
During a recent taping of Talk With Flee, Cam started the show off explaining how he ran into the actor and tried to get him on the episode. However, Hart wasn’t going for it, telling him, “Absolutely not,” because — according to him — Cam’ron has “the most dangerous show in the world” due to the controversial subjects Killa has the propensity to bring up. Although, the comedian did say that he would appear on the show, only if they “schedule it the right way.”
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Thankfully, though, Kevin happened to walk by the studio as Cam finished speaking about him and was eventually coerced into sitting down for a quick couple of questions after being flagged down. And as soon as he walked in, he pleaded with Cam saying, “Please don’t f— up my career.”
When Hart was asked why he blurted out “damn!” after fellow actor Don Cheadle told him his age in a now-viral clip, he said: “It was a real reaction. I’m shocked at the age of some, and Don definitely looks his age, but I wasn’t ready to hear it. So that was just a real reaction. ‘Damn!’ But then I immediately retracted it, which made it right.”
Hart then allowed Cam to ask him one more question, and this is where things took a turn. Cam’ron brought up the 2002 movie Paper Soldiers, in which Hart made his film debut thanks to a mutual friend. “Your very first movie you did — I was actually in it,” Cam said. “When you see Dame Dash today, what do you think?”
Without answering, Hart just got up and walked out of the interview which, of course, caused the entire studio to erupt in laughter.
Killa has a knack for going viral. The most recent interview to get traction was his sitdown with J. Cole, where the two hashed out their differences over a lawsuit Cam filed regarding his guest verse on the Carolina rapper’s mixtape Might Delete Later.
You can watch the full episode below.
With his third studio album, El Baifo, Quevedo delivers a project that feels closer, more personal. Following Donde Quiero Estar (2023) and Buenas Noches (2024), the Spanish artist places the focus on the Canary Islands — not as a passing reference, but as a constant presence throughout the 14 tracks on the independently released record.
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“I believe the Canary Islands are a key point, and that anyone who understands where I come from also understands my career’s processes and stages much better,” Quevedo tells Billboard Español.
“Baifo” is the term used in the Canary Islands to describe a baby goat, a word that is very present in the daily life of the islands. The album also plays with the idea of “GOAT” — as in “greatest of all time.” “I would love for people to feel what I feel when they listen to the album and to understand where I come from,” the artist adds.
That intention resonates throughout the set, which moves through various moods: from celebration to reflection, and to deeply personal moments. El Baifo navigates this emotional range from the very beginning, with an energy tied to festivity and an identity that doesn’t need to be explained. Songs like “Al Golpito,” featuring Canarian group Nueva Línea, take us into a recognizable space: celebration, family, local festivals.
“Mi Balcón” slows things down and provides one of the most introspective moments. With the timple as its foundation, the song is inspired by a very specific image — Canarian balconies. “They’re something very typical here, with a unique architecture. The song talks about a little bit of everything but from a place of nostalgia,” Quevedo explains.
In “La Graciosa,” a merengue track, Quevedo collaborates with Elvis Crespo. In the Canary Islands, Crespo’s music is a staple during carnival celebrations, giving the collab a special weight. “Elvis is a legend. He’s someone who knows our history; he’s been visiting the islands for years,” Quevedo says.
“For me, it’s a dream to have recorded with him,” he adds. “We’re from completely different generations, but at the same time, he connects with everyone. Mothers adore him. His music has been passed down from generation to generation.”
“Ni Borracho” — which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Spain Songs chart — falls into that same celebratory space while maintaining its ties to Quevedo’s roots. For the artist, both that track and “La Graciosa” serve as “a celebration of being from here and an embrace of the islands.”
The closing song is “Hijo del Volcán,” featuring Los Gofiones, a traditional Canarian music group founded in 1968. Here, the album shifts to a more intimate place. “I feel like it’s a union of generations of Canarians… the end of a very beautiful circle,” he says.
In the track, the artist delves into what he’s experienced in recent years and the things he’s still trying to make sense of. “I think it’s cool to make such an honest track… I also talk about how I’ve adjusted to this life,” Quevedo concludes. “I still have my anxieties in my head.”
Listen to El Baifo in full below:
After sweeping the publisher rankings for the Hot 100 and Top Radio Airplay songs by ranking No. 1 on both charts in all four quarters, it’s no surprise that Sony Music Publishing comes in as the No. 1-ranked publisher for both those charts for the full year, thanks to a 28.33% market share for the Hot 100 and an even better 29.85% showing for Radio Airplay.
Probably the main reason Sony ranked as the top publisher for the year in 2025 is that it had stakes in 70 or more songs on both of the charts for three of the year’s four quarters. Its best showing came in the second quarter, when it had a share in 75 songs on the Hot 100 chart and 73 songs in that quarter’s Radio Airplay chart. Moreover, that quarter was one of two quarters — with the other being the third quarter — in which it topped the 30% market share marker for both charts. In the third quarter, it snared 30.90% for Radio Airplay and 33.88% for the Hot 100 — with the latter being the single highest market share performance Sony attained during the year.
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With regard to the publisher rankings, among Sony’s top-performing songs during the year were Leon Thomas’ “Mutt,” Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” and Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “Luther.” Other factors boosting Sony’s stellar year-long performance include having the top songwriter for both the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 charts in the third quarter and also coming in with the top songwriter on the fourth quarter’s Radio Airplay chart on its roster: Shane “sombr” Boose.
Also during the year, Sony absorbed a big chunk of the Hipgnosis song catalog when it struck a deal with Blackstone and became its administrator. Blackstone acquired the previously publicly-traded Hipgnosis Songs Fund in mid-2024, merged it with its privately owned Hipgnosis Songs Capital, and then rebranded those catalogs as Recognition Music in March 2025. Blackstone subsequently sold the Hipgnosis Songs Group administration platform and some publishing assets to Sony in June 2025 and made that company its main publishing administration partner.
While Sony’s eight percentage point spread in the Hot 100 rankings and seven percentage point spread in the Radio Airplay rankings shows it would have been the No. 1 publisher for 2025 with its own song catalog alone, the addition of the Hipgnosis catalog boosted its overall percentage to attain that lofty spread. Indeed, in 2024, Hipgnosis made the top 10 publisher rankings for both the Hot 100 and Radio Airplay charts in every quarter, with its market share ranging from 1.59% (on the Hot 100 ranking in the first quarter of that year) to the 4.36% (on the Radio Airplay ranking in the second quarter). In the first quarter of 2025, Recognition boasted a 1.83% share on the first quarter’s Hot 100 tally.
Coming in as the second-ranked music publisher for the full year for both the Hot 100 and the Radio Airplay charts is Warner Chappell Music, which was the only other music publisher besides Sony to surpass the 20% market share milestone on both charts. Its best showing in 2025 was on the Radio Airplay chart, where it garnered 22.50% for the full year, while it produced a 20.29% showing on the Hot 100 chart. Moreover, Warner Chappell managed to attain better than the 20% market share marker in seven of its eight opportunities during the year, only failing to reach that threshold on the Hot 100 chart in the fourth quarter, when it had a 16.92% share. Its best showing came in the third quarter, when it had a 22.32% share on the Hot 100 chart and a 23.67% share on the Radio Airplay chart.
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Warner Chappell’s top songs during the year included “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” and “Doechii’s “Anxiety.” Meanwhile, it was the top-ranked publisher on Country Airplay, finishing the year with 31.02% — more than four percentage points higher than its closest rival, Sony, which garnered 26.76% on that chart in 2025.
Coming in as the No. 3 ranked publisher last year on both the Hot 100 and the Radio Airplay charts was Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), which garnered a 19.38% market share for the Hot 100 and 15.81% for Radio Airplay. UMPG’s best showing during the year came in the first quarter, when it tallied a 25.04% market share on the Hot 100 chart, enough to make it the No. 2 ranked publisher on the tally. Its top songs during the year included Taylor Swift’s “The Fate Of Ophelia,” Justin Bieber’s “Daisies,” Shaboozey’s “Good News,” and HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI’s “Golden.” Moreover, a UMPG songwriter — namely Drake — was named the top songwriter on both the Hot 100 charts and Top Radio Airplay charts in the second quarter, while in the first quarter Kendrick Lamar was the top songwriter on the Hot 100 and Taylor Swift was the top songwriter on the Hot 100 chart in the fourth quarter — a distinction she shared with two of her co-writers.
Kobalt, the No. 4 ranked publisher on both the Hot 100 and Radio Airplay charts in 2025, was the only other publisher to attain a double-digit percentage market share for the year, finishing with 11.9% on the former chart and 10.22% on the latter. Its best performance in 2025 came in the last quarter of the year, when it finished as the No. 2 publisher on the Hot 100 with a 21.43% share. Its top songs during the year included “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Shaboozey’s “Good News,” and Morgan Wallen’s “What I Want” featuring Tate McRae.
While BMG is usually the No. 5 ranked publisher and maintained its hold on that position for the full year, it bucked its traditional ranking in the third quarter, when it hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 ranking with a 12.75% share. Its top songs during the year included Shaboozey’s “Good News,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “Luther,” HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI’s “Golden,” and “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Overall, BMG scored 5.61% market share on the Radio Airplay chart and 6.91% on the Hot 100 for the year.
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Three publishers appear in the second half of the Top 10 publishers rankings on both charts: Pulse, Position and Concord. The latter enjoyed the best performance, coming in at No. 6 on the Radio Airplay ranking and at No. 7 on the Hot 100 with a market share of 1.71% and 1.14%, respectively. What’s more, its separately operated joint-venture with Pulse finished at No. 8 on the Radio Airplay ranking with a 1.13% share and at No. 10 on the Hot 100 ranking with 0.64%, just beating out the No. 11-slotted peer music’s 0.63% showing on the Hot 100.
If Concord and Pulse’s market share was consolidated, it would have been the No. 6 publisher on the Hot 100 ranking with 1.78%. However, its combined 2.84% in Radio Airplay market share would still leave it in the No. 6 spot on that ranking.
As for the other publisher to make both charts, Position Music was boosted by having three songs from the Benson Boone catalog, all its top-performing tunes last year: “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” “Beautiful Things” and “Mystical Magical.” It finished at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and No. 9 on Radio Airplay for the year.
Rounding out the Top 10 publisher rankings on the Hot 100 was St. Nicholas Music, which came in No. 6 based solely on its fourth quarter showing, when the Christmas songs of the late Johnny Marks made their annual revisit on the charts; and Reservoir, which ranked at No. 9 thanks to a strong performance in the first quarter when its top song was Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
On the Radio Airplay ranking, Big Machine Music came in at No. 7 with 1.17% for the year, thanks to its strong third quarter performance with a 1.75% tally, when Russell Dickerson’s “Happen To Me” was its top song; and Spirit Music Group, which ranks No. 10 with a 1.07% share when its various catalogs are consolidated — just beating out the No. 11-ranked Me Gusta Music with a 1.06% share.
METHODOLOGY
In order to come up with an annual publisher ranking, Billboard added together the Hot 100 point totals for each publisher for each of the four quarters, then divided each publisher’s point total by the Hot 100 point totals for all four quarters combined, to come up with each publisher’s market share for the year. Billboard did the same for the radio airplay rankings, adding up each publisher’s song detections for the year for the top 100 songs in each quarter and then dividing their respective totals by the total play detections for the Top 100 songs from all four quarters.
To determine the top 10 publishers on the Top Radio Airplay chart, percentage calculations were based upon the overall top 100 detecting songs electronically monitored by Mediabase (which provides data to Luminate for Billboard’s airplay charts) at: 3,066 U.S. radio stations in the first quarter and second quarters; 3,133 stations in the third quarter; and 3022 stations in the fourth quarter. Monitoring was done 24 hours a day, seven days a week for each of the successive four calendar quarters for the year beginning Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025.
To determine the top 10 publishers on Hot 100 Songs, percentage calculations were based upon the top 100 songs for each quarter as ranked by Billboard Hot 100 points calculated from digital sales, streaming and radio airplay detections tracked by Mediabase (which provides data to Luminate for Billboard’s airplay charts) during the respective periods of: Dec. 27, 2024 to March 27, 2025, reflecting the chart dates of Jan. 11 to April 5; March 28 to June 26, reflecting the chart dates of April 12 through July 5; June 27, 2025, to Oct. 4, 2025, reflecting the chart dates of July 12, 2025 through Oct. 4, 2025; and Sept. 25 to Dec. 25, 2025, reflecting the chart dates of Oct. 11, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2026. Publisher information for musical works on both charts has been identified by the Harry Fox Agency. A “publisher” is defined as an administrator, copyright owner and/or controlling party.
