More than a dozen U.S. music industry groups are asking for the federal government’s help fighting a European Union policy proposal that could erase nearly $300 million in annual royalties for American artists and labels.

The Recording Academy, SoundExchange, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), ASCAP, BMI and eight other organizations sent a letter on Wednesday (July 8) to Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, urging him to stop Europe from changing its rules around recorded royalties for terrestrial radio plays and public performances at commercial establishments.

The European Commission (EC), the main executive body for the European Union (EU), announced in May that it was considering legislation to overturn a 2020 court ruling that required member states to pay public performance royalties to all sound recording rightsholders, regardless of nationality. Before then, EU countries operated under a principle of “material reciprocity” — that is, only giving such royalties to international artists and labels whose home countries offer the same. This effectively excluded Americans, since U.S. law sets forth a public performance royalty for publishing, but not for recorded music (with the exception of digital streams).

The EC is now thinking about reinstating material reciprocity in order “to make the European music market more competitive and prevent royalties from being diverted away from European music producers and performers,” per the May announcement. On Wednesday, the U.S. organizations said that would “mark a dramatic policy reversal and codify discrimination against American creators into EU law.”

“If adopted, this change would put at risk nearly $300 million in annual royalties that American artists and rights owners currently receive from Europe,” wrote the groups. “We urge USTR to take immediate and decisive action to oppose this proposal.”

The coalition argued that the U.S. government should oppose the EC by “fully leveraging available trade tools — including sustained bilateral engagement, coordinated multilateral pressure, and, if necessary, targeted enforcement measures.”

The EC’s legislation proposal has also drawn pushback from Warner Music Group (WMG), which wrote in a June 25 comment to the commission that “protection of foreign copyrights is essential to investment in EU copyright industries.”

“The application of material reciprocity would have a significant detrimental impact on the European music industry,” argued WMG. “Removing protections from [non- qualifying] catalogue creates an unfair market in which music users are incentivized to use unprotected music to avoid having to pay for the use of music. Put simply, material reciprocity will mean less money flowing to artists, those who invest in new music, artists and writers, and through the relevant collective management entities.”

On the other hand, many European rightsholder groups have long lobbied the EC to overturn the 2020 ruling and make material reciprocity the law of the land, citing concerns that their artists and labels would have their long-standing royalties siphoned off by U.S. rightsholders. IMPALA, the European indie artist advocacy group, wrote in its own comment to the EC on June 25, “We welcome the EC’s confirmation that it is considering to clarify the EU rules on the application of material reciprocity.”

“Without EC action… the [2020] judgement will result in future outflows of money to the U.S. and other countries which currently do not, or might decide not to in the future, protect their recordings in the same way as the EU does,” wrote the group. “IMPALA calculated that in the absence of EU intervention, the transfer of revenues out of Europe to the U.S. alone resulting from the absence of material reciprocity would be more than €125m per annum, or €1.25bn over a period of 10 years.”

Brian Potter, a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter best known for co-producing Glen Campbell’s 1975 Rhinestone Cowboy album, died June 30 in Granada Hills, Calif., following years living with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s, according to his daughter. He was 87.

Potter, who was born in Essex, England, played in bands as a teen and even toured across the U.K. and Europe briefly as the drummer for Chuck Berry, scored his first hit in 1965 as a songwriter on the Small Faces’ debut single “Whatcha Gonna Do About It,” written with Ian Samwell. The song reached No. 14 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart.

Shortly thereafter, Potter met Dennis Lambert, a singer/songwriter in the U.S. Army stationed in Europe, and the pair became songwriting partners, leading to Potter moving to the U.S.

Together, the pair landed numerous hits starting with 1969’s anti-war song “One Tin Soldier,” which was first recorded by The Original Caste. A 1971 version by Coven became the theme to the movie Billy Jack, and Skeeter Davis’ rendition received a Grammy nomination for best female country vocal performance.

Several hits penned by Potter and Lambert followed, including writing and producing a number of albums for the Four Tops following the R&B group’s departure from Motown, that included such hits as “Keeper of the Castle” and “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I Got),” from the Lambert/Potter-produced album 1972’s Keeper of the Castle (with collaborator Steve Barri).

The pair landed their own imprint, Haven Records, at Capitol Records, and in the mid-’70s began working with Campbell on the 1975 Rhinestone Cowboy concept album about an aging country musician. The title track, written by Larry Weiss, earned Potter and his collaborators a Grammy nomination for producer of the year, and won him an Academy of Country Music Award as well as American Music Award.

Other 1970s’ Billboard Hot 100 hits penned by the duo included Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynold’s “Don’t Pull Your Love” (No. 4), the Grass Roots’ Two Divided By Love” (No. 16), The Righteous Brothers’ “Dream On” (No. 32) and Tavares’ “It Only Takes a Minute” (No. 10). As producers, they also continued to score hits, including Player’s No. 1 tune, “Baby Come Back.”   

After writing Score, a musical about Harlem Globetrotters founder Abe Saperstein, Lambert and Potter amicably split and Potter, with composer Wayne Green, wrote two musicals through SGI-USA, the Buddhist organization both men belonged to: This is America: A Musical Revue (1988) and This is America: The New World (1989), both of which toured more than 10 cities across the country.

Then, through Landmark Entertainment Group, the pair wrote more than 20 songs for Japanese theme park Puroland, while also writing and producing two children’s music albums for Here We Go, Kids. Continuing working with theme parks, Potter consulted with Universal Studios Hollywood in the early ‘90s on projects including Beetlejuice’s Rockin’ Graveyard Revue and The Blues Brothers Show.

In 2025, Lambert and Potter were nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the non-performing songwriters category.

Survivors include Potter’s wife of 55 years, Karen; daughter Courtney and stepdaughter Mary Shirley; two brothers; and a number of other relatives. Donations in his memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Motion Picture & Television Fund. A celebration of life will be held in the fall.

Future is gearing up for a summer takeover. Ahead of The Real Me‘s arrival later this week, Pluto shared the official cover art and track list for the LP on Wednesday (July 8).

Future posted the cover art to Instagram, which finds him shirtless, delivering a menacing stare into the camera with his twists freshly dyed blonde and a black backdrop.

“Who u think featured on my album,” he wrote, seemingly revealing there will be guests on the LP, but he’s not ready to share them just yet, as fans may have to find out Friday (July 10).

The album boasts 22 tracks in total and includes the previously released single “Radio.” Song titles include “California Girls,” “Fukk a Interview,” “Snow in Skyami” and “2018.”

Future is seeking his 12th No. 1 album atop the Billboard 200 collectively. His last nine solo albums, including the pair he teamed up with Metro Boomin on the production side in 2024, all reached the summit.

Before he announced plans for an album in June, Pluto has been keeping busy for the last couple of months. He ended his beef with Drake in May to reunite on ICEMAN‘s “Ran to Atlanta,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Atlanta rap dignitary also teamed up with Tyla for a FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem titled “Game Time.” They joined forces for the live debut of the collab in June for the World Cup’s Opening Ceremony at SoFi Stadium.

Find the cover art and track list for The Real Me below.

Kylie Cantrall is entering a new era with the release of her upcoming EP, Valley Girl Problems.

The Disney star’s latest project is set for release on July 24. Valley Girl Problems is an eight-track EP that marks a new chapter for the Venezuelan-American artist, as she continues to transition from her acting career and her role as Red in the Descendants franchise to becoming a household name in pop music. 

The EP’s lead single “Carrie Bradshaw” was released in April, while other tracks include “Grwm,” the title track, “Closet,” “Girls Like U,” “Yuck!” and two interludes titled “The Problem” and “The Answer.”

“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Write what you know,’ and that’s exactly what I did with this EP,” Cantrall said of the project. “Valley Girl Problems truly captures everything I’ve experienced over the last year and how I’ve embraced this new chapter of my life.”

Valley Girl Problems was produced by Tricky Stewart — known for working with artists such as Rihanna and Tyla — and written alongside Tayla Parx, who co-wrote the song inspired by the iconic Sex and the City character and is a hitmaking co-writer for Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco and more.

The release of Valley Girl Problems will follow Cantrall’s return to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, a sequel to The Rise of Red, debuting July 16 on Disney Channel. The Disney production marks the fifth installment in the Descendants franchise, in which she portrays the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, played by singer Rita Ora.

Earlier this year, the actress and singer signed to Republic Records, in partnership with APG and Heroine Music. Last year, Cantrall released her debut EP, B.O.Y., which included the singles “Boy for a Day,” “Goodie Bag,” “Denim” and “See U Tonight.”

The Valley Girl Problems track list:

Ben Folds is giving fans a look at what might have been.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album with the release of Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary), a newly remastered edition set to be released on Sept. 4.

The project pairs the original 1995 record with an unreleased version of the album titled Shelved First Attempt. The recently unearthed project is being previewed with the fan-favorite track “Underground (Shelved First Attempt),” available to fans on Tuesday (June 7).

“Here’s my 59-year-old self’s take on the album we made when I was 28: Overall, it’s good!” Folds writes in the anniversary edition’s liner notes. “It’s NOT the kind of record you’d hear produced these days. It’s pretty rough and tumble, mostly in a good way. And it’s emphatically unique. It’s from an era when you could still identify a band by the instrumentalists, before you’d even hear the vocalist.”

The “Shelved First Attempt” comprises tracks that remained tucked away for more than 30 years before Folds decided to resurface them from his personal archives. The recordings feature earlier versions of tracks such as “Underground,” “Julianne” and “Philosophy,” as well as “Boxing” and “Evaporated,” which appeared on the band’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Other tracks within the collection include “Emaline,” “Dick Holster” and “Eddie Walker.”

Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen’s release was the commercial breakthrough for Ben Folds Five, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Brick,” one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart, No. 11 on the Mainstream Top 40 and reached No. 19 on the mainstream Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released via Capitol/UMe on CD and vinyl, while the remaster of the original album as well as the Shelved First Attempt will both be available to stream and download.

As the project’s reissue becomes available, the group is set to reunite for their first live performances together in more than 13 years next year.

Preview the Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) CD tracklist:

DISC 1 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (REMASTERED)

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy
3. Julianne
4. Where’s Summer B.?
5. Alice Childress
6. Underground
7. Sports & Wine
8. Uncle Walter
9. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing

DISC 2 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (SHELVED FIRST ATTEMPT)

1. Underground
2. Julianne
3. Uncle Walter
4. Alice Childress
5. Evaporated
6. Dick Holster
7. Philosophy
8. Boxing
9. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker