Grupo Frontera joined Bad Bunny on Monday (Dec. 15) as a special guest at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City to perform the Tex-Mex cumbia “un x100to” together. The participation of the Mexican-American supergroup during the Puerto Rican superstar’s fourth show created a unique moment, blending regional Mexican music with reggaetón and Caribbean salsa for one night.

The group took to the main stage of the venue to the roar of 66,000 people, according to figures from Ocesa, who celebrated and captured the moment with their cell phones. The band, led by vocalist Adelaido “Payo” Solís III, became the second guest in Bad Bunny’s series of eight concerts in Mexico City, following Colombian artist Feid, who joined the second night of the tour on Dec. 11 from the alternate stage known as “La Casita.”

“un x100to” made its way to the Mexican leg of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos tour on the same night Bad Bunny gifted his audience with an exclusive performance of “Where She Goes.” This successful romantic cumbia marks Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s second collaboration with regional Mexican artists, following the 2019 remix of the corrido “Soy el Diablo,” which he recorded with corridos tumbados star Natanael Cano.

The music video for his 2023 hit “un x100to, entered YouTube’s Billion Views Club in September, marking his 17th entry overall. Meanwhile, for Grupo Frontera, “un x100to” becomes the group’s second entry in the platform’s exclusive club.

Bad Bunny will perform the fifth concert of his tour on Dec. 16 at the Estadio GNP Seguros, a venue that, according to Ocesa, will bring together more than 520,000 people across the eight shows, with the remaining ones scheduled for Dec. 19, 20 and 21 all sold out.

The boricua star ranks as the third artist with the highest number of concerts at the legendary capital city stadium, formerly known as Foro Sol, trailing only Colombian superstar Shakira, who holds the record with 12 shows, and Mexican group Grupo Firme with nine concerts already performed.

The Debí Tirar Más Fotos tour began on Nov. 21 in the Dominican Republic and also made stops in Costa Rica. In 2026, it will continue in Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil before moving on to Asia and Europe.

The Killers, T-Pain, Dominic Fike, Janelle Monáe and Avery Anna will take the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on April 8 for the inaugural Freely Fest celebrating the power of music and the freedoms protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The event from Freedom Forum — a nonpartisan organization dedicated to “fostering First Amendment freedoms for all — will blend performances with the artist’s personal stories about the power of free expression and on-site interactive experiences highlighting the importance of our First Amendment freedoms.

“From Freedom Forum’s perspective, any day would be a great day to celebrate the power of music, how free expression is the First Amendment in action through artists and through audiences,” Freedom Forum chair and CEO Jan Neuharth tells Billboard about the inspiration for the event. “We approach our work [by] trying to bring First Amendment rights to people in a way that makes it feel relevant to them in their daily lives. We want to educate, but we don’t want to lecture, it’s not school, it’s helping people understand these right that maybe we take for granted.”

Neuharth also notes that Nashville was chosen for the show for a number of reasons, including its status as “Music City,” as well as being a creative hub for music and the home of legendary Nashville journalist John Seigenthaler, a civil rights activist and founding editorial director of USA Today, who established the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center at city’s Vanderbilt University. Freedom Forum was established on July 4, 1991 by USA Today founder, and Jan Neuharth’s father, Al Neuharth, with a vision of fostering first Amendment freedoms for all Americans.

“When you listen to a song do you automatically think, ‘Oh, this is free speech and it’s protected by the First Amendment!’ Likely not as you compile your playlist,” Neuharth says, adding that the organization’s “Brought to You By the First Amendment” campaign is a reminder that what we read, sing, listen to and wear are all protected by the First Amendment.

“You’re not thinking about the First Amendment, and it’s so important that people do that and so all of our work is focused on trying to bring these freedoms to life,” she says, calling music “a universal language” that can bring people together to celebrate these freedoms that rely on all of us to stand up to protect. Freedom Forum has teamed with C3/Live Nation on the event, which Neuharth stresses is a “mission-driven” festival that at its core is all about having fun and celebrating the power of music.

In case you need a refresher, the First Amendment of the Constitution prevents Congress from making laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press and the freedom to peaceably assemble, among other rights.

“The First Amendment is for everyone. The First Amendment is non-partisan, we’re non-partisan, Freely Festival is non-partisan, what we want to do is raise awareness that any artist has a right to write whatever music they want and speak in ways they want and fans have a right to listen or choose not to listen,” says Neuharth.

Tickets for the event go on sale on Thursday (Dec. 18) here.

Ryan Tedder has spent much of his career figuring out how to turn casual listeners into lifelong fans. Now, the OneRepublic frontman and Grammy-winning songwriter is betting that the same thinking can unlock a major opportunity in professional sports.

Tedder is an investor in Jump, a fast-growing fan engagement platform founded by serial entrepreneur Mark Lore and backed by retired baseball player Alex Rodriguez that aims to deepen relationships between teams and fans through a unified, team-branded app. The platform integrates ticketing, merchandise, concessions, seat upgrades and personalized experiences — all designed to help teams better understand, engage and monetize their most loyal supporters.

“When I saw the problem they were solving, it made all the sense in the world,” Tedder says. “My entire life outside of writing songs is about understanding fandom and how to super-serve fans. Sports teams, historically, don’t do that very well.”

Jump, which is already working with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, allows fans to order food from their seats, manage tickets, buy merch and even receive real-time notifications offering seat upgrades during games — a level of flexibility Tedder says mirrors the evolution of fan experiences in music.

“One of my favorite features is getting a notification five minutes into a game saying, ‘Courtside seats just opened up — do you want to upgrade?’” Tedder says. “You tap your phone and suddenly you’re courtside. That just doesn’t happen in a normal sports experience.”

Tedder’s interest in Jump came through Lore, whose previous ventures include Jet.com and leading Walmart’s e-commerce strategy. Tedder invested shortly after the company’s early launch, following a long phone call that sealed his conviction.

“Part of my investment philosophy is betting on the jockey and the horse,” Tedder says. “Mark has built billion-dollar companies before. I believe in the team as much as the opportunity.”

What ultimately sold him was the size of the unmet need. Tedder says he spoke with longtime season-ticket holders across multiple leagues — including the NBA, NFL and MLB — asking what teams truly knew about them beyond their seats and parking passes.

“The answer was basically nothing,” he says. “Beyond tickets, food and maybe a VIP lounge, there’s no deeper relationship. That’s wild when you compare it to music.”

In touring, Tedder notes, artists routinely layer experiences on top of concerts — meet-and-greets, soundcheck access, exclusive merch drops and surprise moments that create lasting memories and incremental revenue. Sports, despite having more frequent touchpoints across a season, have largely failed to replicate that model. 

“There’s a massive delta between how passionate fans are and how they’re treated,” he says. “That entire gap is what Jump is designed to fill.”

Tedder describes Jump as a “one-stop shop” that allows teams to communicate directly with fans rather than relying on fragmented third-party systems.

“A good analogy is Shopify,” he says. “Shopify lets brands have a direct relationship with consumers. Jump does that for sports teams. You’re not dealing with a middleman — you’re dealing directly with the team you love.”

Jump is a full-service ticketing system that competes with the likes of Ticketmaster and AXS, and Tedder notes the company is designed to build a data-driven relationship that benefits both fans and franchises.

The platform’s success with the Timberwolves has already attracted interest from other teams across leagues, according to Tedder, though he declined to name those partners ahead of official announcements.

Tedder’s perspective is shaped by decades inside the music business, where fan engagement has become increasingly sophisticated. He points to K-pop as a prime example of how fandom — not just music — drives global success.

“It’s not just the songs,” he says. “It’s the fandom. It’s understanding your audience and creating experiences that feel personal and special.”

He sees similar potential in sports, from VIP travel experiences to team-specific fan activations that could be tested by one franchise and then adopted league-wide.

“Think about how ideas spread between teams,” Tedder says. “One team does something incredible, it goes viral, and suddenly everyone wants to copy it. Jump gives teams the infrastructure to experiment.”

For Tedder, Jump represents a rare convergence of business, technology and culture — one that feels overdue.

“I walked out of a concert thinking about all the special things we did for fans that day,” he recalls. “A week later, I was at a sporting event and realized nothing about the experience was different from any other game I’d ever attended.”

He pauses. “That’s when it really clicked. This is a massive opportunity — and we’ve only scratched the surface.”

Eric Wong has been promoted to executive vice president of recorded music at Warner Music Group, expanding his leadership remit across the company’s global marketing and A&R operations, WMG announced Tuesday (Dec. 16).

In the newly elevated role, Wong will oversee flagship global marketing campaigns and lead global A&R efforts, working closely with WMG’s labels, artists and management teams to drive international storytelling and artist development.

He will continue to serve as president of East West Records U.S. and president of Warner Music Canada, and remains based in New York, reporting directly to Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl.

Wong has been part of WMG’s senior management team for the past five years, during which time he has played a key role in strengthening collaboration across the company’s recorded music labels and international territories.

“Since joining WMG’s senior management team five years ago, Eric has been a driving force behind our mission to forge closer collaboration across our recorded music labels and territories around the world,” Kyncl said in a statement. “His understanding of the international marketplace, combined with his deep marketing and A&R experience along with key relationships across the industry, makes him ideally suited to take on this expanded role as we continue to elevate our talent on the global stage.”

In his dual leadership roles over the past year, Wong has focused on strengthening the connective tissue between WMG’s U.S. and international operations. As head of East West Records U.S., he has helped align markets and guide artists toward broader global opportunities, including supporting breakthrough acts such as Punjabi superstar Karan Aujla, whose album P-Pop Culture debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

Since assuming leadership of Warner Music Canada in September, Wong has also overseen new executive appointments aimed at sharpening the label’s local and international focus.

“I’m excited to continue working closely with our incredible artists and partners,” Wong said. “It’s a privilege to collaborate with so many talented people, and I’m looking forward to continuing to find new ways to spark creativity, build meaningful connections, and help bring great music to fans everywhere.”

Prior to his most recent posts, Wong served as chief marketing officer of Warner Music’s recorded music division, where he led global marketing initiatives across more than 70 markets. During that time, he helped shape campaigns for artists including Dua Lipa, Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, David Guetta and Coldplay. Before joining WMG, Wong spent nearly a decade at Universal Music Group, most recently as chief operating officer of Island Records.