As if having Kid Cudi as a dad wasn’t cool enough, Cudder pulled a couple of strings so his daughter and her friends could see Taylor Swift in style on the Eras Tour.
Cudi had actor Adam Scott on as a guest of his Big Bro With Kid Cudishow earlier this week, which saw the Ohio native recall making a few calls to hook his teenage daughter, Vada Wamwene Mescudi, and her friends up to see Taylor Swift on tour.
The pop supernova came through in a major way, as Swift’s team rolled out the red carpet for Vada and her friends, who got the VIP treatment for an Eras Tour stop.
“My daughter’s a Swiftie,” Cudi explained. “She texted me one day, ‘Daddy, is it possible for you to get tickets for me and my friends to see Taylor Swift?’ I was just like, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ Taylor Swift had me looking like the coolest dad ever.”
He continued: “I hit up Taylor’s team. We were like, ‘Do you have any extra tickets?’ They gave us the friends-and-family tickets, so it was a good location in the stadium. I remember my daughter texted me back like, ‘Dad, you’re the best.’ I was just like, ‘Yeah, man!’ Thank you, Taylor Swift.”
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was one of the hottest tour tickets of the century. Across 149 shows spanning 2023 and 2024, Swift’s record-breaking trek grossed over $2 billion and sold more than 10 million tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Perhaps Cudi could return the favor for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, with the “Pursuit of Happiness” rapper currently on the road for his 33-date Rebel Ragers Tour, which will make stops in Austin and Dallas this weekend.
Watch the clip of Kid Cudi talking about getting his daughter Taylor Swift tickets below.
Taylor Swift had Kid Cudi looking like the “coolest dad ever” ❤️🔥😎
“My daughter texted me one day, ‘Umm daddy is it possible for you to get tickets for me and my friends to see Taylor Swift?’
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 21:41:182026-05-01 21:41:18Here’s Why Taylor Swift Had Kid Cudi Looking Like the ‘Coolest Dad Ever’
Hilary Duff‘s “What Dreams Are Made Of” is a graduation staple — now, she can add commencement speaker to her lengthy resume.
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On Wednesday (April 29), Duff addressed Northeastern University’s graduating class of 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, delivering an inspiring speech that pulled nuggets of wisdom from her pop culture journey. She began her speech joking that she was “envious” of the graduates because her “formal education ended around third grade” due to her blossoming career as a child actor and then-teen superstar. From there, the “Roommates” singer reflected on some of the key lessons she learned as she navigated her career in entertainment.
“Just because something is a good opportunity or a good paycheck doesn’t mean it’s right,” she reminded the graduates. “By simply accepting what the world was offering to me, I was losing my own voice; I was reacting, instead of asking myself what I really wanted. That realization was a paradigm shift for me.”
“I knew I had to change my pattern of saying ‘yes,’ so I took a break from making music,” she continued. “Not because I didn’t know exactly what kind of album I wanted to make or what kind of stories I wanted to tell through my music, because I knew precisely what I wanted. But I somehow knew that I couldn’t authentically make it, yet.”
After reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with Dignity in 2007, Duff took a hiatus from her music career, shifting her focus to acting, production and penning her New York Times bestseller Elixir trilogy. She returned to the music scene with Breathe In. Breathe Out. in 2015, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Sparks” (No. 93).
“So I made a choice, and I took a step back. I pivoted. I rebuilt myself, I refilled my tank, I put effort into my relationships, into building my family and building a business,” Duff explained. “I waited until I was ready to meet the moment. I realized that saying ‘no’ wasn’t rejection, it was redirection… I took back control of what I was building, and I reclaimed my story. And I realized my own agency. I’m grateful I had the ability to take that pause… the key is that I was choosing where my energy went instead of letting others choose for me. Don’t forget to pause and appreciate how far you’ve come.”
If the stadium’s thunderous applause was anything to go by, Duff’s speech was a hit, adding another win to her collection this year. At the top of the year, Duff returned to the road on her Small Rooms, Big Nevers Tour, which led to the release of her latest album, Luck… Or Something. Co-written and co-produced with husband Matthew Koma, Luck hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed a radio hit in “Roommates,” which reached No. 25 on Pop Airplay.
Next month, Duff will kick off her Lucky Me Tour with two shows at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla. (June 21-22). The trek will take her to amphitheaters and arenas in major cities across North America, Australia and the U.K., including New York City, Toronto and London, before concluding with two shows at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes next year (Feb. 12-13, 2027).
Check out Hilary Duff’s complete commencement speech for Northeastern University’s graduating class of 2026 below.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 21:36:062026-05-01 21:36:06Hilary Duff Delivers Inspiring Northeastern University Commencement Speech: ‘Don’t Forget to Pause And Appreciate How Far You’ve Come’
EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI, also known as HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters, talk about the importance of representation while accepting Billboard’s Women of the Year award, after performing their smash hit “Golden.” Zara Larsson lit up the stage with her performance with “Midnight Sun” while accepting this year’s Breakthrough award, while Keke Palmer kept the crowd laughing through the night.
This is branded content.
Narrator Zara Larsson, Kehlani and HUNTR/X of KPop Demon Hunters at Billboard’s Women In Music 2026 presented by Sonesta International Hotels brought the heat. And here’s everything you need to know. Women in Music united at the Palladium in Los Angeles, and the star power was at an all-time high. Keke Palmer served as the superstar host of the night, where she cracked plenty of jokes with the crowd. Meanwhile, the Women of the Year honor went to HUNTR/X of KPop Demon Hunters, AUDREY NUNA, EJAE and REI AMI. And you know, they brought down the house with a performance of “Golden,” it’s our moment. Ciara presented Kehlani with the Impact award and Zara Larsson strutted her stuff with a performance of “Midnight Sun.” Beyond the awards, a select group of attendees also felt the love with the VIP treatment courtesy of Sonesta international hotel’s award-winning loyalty program, Travel Pass. Fans were able to visit the Sonesta speakeasy to watch the show, grab a drink, get their hands on swag, and even receive a reading from an astrologer. For more on Billboard’s Women in Music 2026 presented by Sonesta International Hotels, head over to Billboard.com.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 21:01:182026-05-01 21:01:18EJAE, AUDREY NUNA & REI AMI Are Billboard’s Women of the Year, Zara Larsson Lights Up the Stage With ‘Midnight Sun’ & More | Billboard News
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The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards are right around the corner, and country fans are abuzz with excitement for this year’s nominees.
The country music-centric ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show will be hosted by multi-time ACM Awards recipient and country music icon Shania Twain. The 2026 ACM Awards will be available to stream live exclusively on Prime Video, Twitch and Amazon Music at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT. Doors to the venue open at 3:30 p.m.
Where to Buy Tickets to the ACM Awards at a Glance:
Lucky for country fans, the ACM Awards are one of the few award shows that people can buy tickets for, so fans can get in on all the action. If you’re looking to buy official tickets to the show, you’ll want to go via AXS.com. A quick look through the website and you’ll find pricing for as low as $131.41 for upper sections.
As you go down the map of the arena provided, pricing goes up to $903; however, we’ve seen closer seating around the floor for $430.71, which is a steal given how close to the stage you’d be. Of course, floor seating is going to be the most expensive at around $1,563 and above, depending on the seating chosen.
This year’s nominees are a star-studded bunch, featuring well-known names like Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert and many more. Women dominated the nominees list this year, racking up a slew of awards nods, including Megan Moroney, who leads the top four with nine nods, followed by Lambert at eight and Langley and Wilson with seven each. This marks the second year in a row that female solo acts have led the nominations. Host Twain is a three-time ACM Awards winner.
You’ll want to keep your eye out for categories like Entertainer of the Year, with nominees like Wilson going up against superstars Wallen and Jelly Roll, along with the Song of the Year field with fierce competition from Moroney, Lambert, and Langley. You can read more about all the nominees here.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 20:56:012026-05-01 20:56:01Where to Buy Tickets to 2026 ACM Awards With Shania Twain, Kacey Musgraves & More
Since the late 1990s, Mexico City’s Plaza de la Constitución, better known as the Zócalo, has been the spot for musical events that have turned the country’s main public square into the biggest stage for massive and unforgettable shows.
The last major crowd event hosted at the so-called First Square of the nation’s capital a live performance by the Chilean television show 31 Minutos. On April 30, 2026, the group achieved a milestone by drawing a crowd of 230,000 people, according to official figures. The collective — founded by journalists Álvaro Díaz and Pedro Peirano, and comprising primarily musicians from Chilean rock bands — included in its show a tribute to the iconic Mexican artist Juan Gabriel and his song “Querida.”
Prior to this, a screening of the iconic Juan Gabriel’s first concert at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1990 brought together 170,000 people on Nov. 8 2025, according to data from the city government. The screening was organized by Netflix to promote the docuseries Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will (or in Spanish, Juan Gabriel: Debo, puedo y quiero), which had premiered just days earlier.
This was the second time a concert by the late “Divo de Juárez” at Bellas Artes was screened in the plaza. A similar event took place in September 2024, when the screening of his 2013 performance at Mexico’s most prestigious cultural venue drew 70,000 people.
Mexico City’s Zócalo is considered an iconic and highly significant location, as it is a square full of symbolism where politics, social movements, culture, and religion converge. It is the second-largest public square in the world, only behind Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Here are the 12 most massive concerts held in recent years at Mexico City’s Zócalo, according to official figures from the city government. Check out which one takes the No. 1 spot!
Editor’s Note: The list is ranked from lowest to highest attendance and only includes live performances. In the case of a tie, entries are listed in alphabetical order.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 20:06:122026-05-01 20:06:12The Top 12 Most Attended Concerts in History at Mexico City’s Iconic Zócalo
Earnings season started with a bang in the music world, with two of the largest publicly traded music companies, Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG), reporting their Q1 performances in the final week of April.
It didn’t all go smoothly. Both Spotify and UMG saw their stocks tumble following their first-quarter earnings results, which missed investors’ expectations. Spotify’s stock fell 13% in the five days after the company reported that operating income would likely fall over the next few quarters as it invests in AI, tech and marketing. UMG’s stock fell 9% in the trading day following its report that its $3.3 billion in revenue was flat compared to a banner first quarter last year.
Still, music companies’ earnings and share price performances continue to buck macroeconomic trends. South Korea’s HYBE had a record-setting quarter on the return of K-pop super-group BTS, which released its blockbuster ARIRANG album and kicked off a world tour this year, marking a long-awaited comeback after a hiatus due to the members’ completion of their mandatory military service. Meanwhile, SiriusXM stemmed the loss of subscribers with family plan subscriptions, price hikes and increased advertising revenue from Pandora.
Of course, those are just the music companies that have reported so far. Warner Music Group, Sony Music Group, Live Nation and more will report in the first full week of May.
For now, here’s a list, in alphabetical order, of the music companies that have released earnings results (as of May 1) for the quarter ending March 31, 2026. We will update the list as more companies report.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 20:06:122026-05-01 20:06:12Q1 2026 Earnings: Here’s What Every Music Company Made (Updating)
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The fashion industry’s biggest night — the Met Gala — is back, celebrating all things style and glamour.
The 2026 Met Gala is set to take place Monday, May 4, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, and will be available to stream live on E!. This year’s theme is “Costume Art,” celebrating the merging of mediums of expression by bringing art off the canvas and mirroring it in a fashion-forward perspective.
You won’t want to miss the attendees this year, given that there are a ton of musicians set to grace the red carpet in their best looks. Beyoncé is one of the gala’s co-chairs alongside former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actress Nicole Kidman and tennis star Venus Williams. Other musicians confirmed to attend include Doja Cat, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, Sam Smith, Sabrina Carpenter and Teyana Taylor, among others. Fans of the annual gala have already begun to buzz about rumored attendees, predicting that big names like BTS, Bad Bunny, Addison Rae, Cardi B and Billie Eilish might attend. Only time will tell.
During the livestream, E! will be enlisting the help of some experts, fashion or otherwise, to take to the carpet to capture must-see moments and break down A-list arrivals’ outfits. This panel of people includes Justin Sylvester, Keltie Knight, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Summer House star Ciara Miller, star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Bronwyn Newport, Renee Montgomery, Chris Appleton and designer Christian Siriano.
How to Watch Met Gala 2026 Online for Free
As mentioned, the 2026 Met Gala red carpet will be streaming live on Monday, May 4 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Below, we’ll be showing you how to tune into the red carpet online for free.
DIRECTV offers the E! network in multiple packages; however, the streamer’s CHOICE package is our top pick because it is the best value at $84.99 a month for the first month, down from $94.99. The package comes with 125+ channels, including E!. DIRECTV offers new customers a 5-day free trial, so you can watch the 2026 Met Gala without spending a dime before committing to anything.
Sling Blue is another option to watch the red carpet event. The service’s pricing starts at $45.99 a month and includes 40-plus channels, including E!. With your subscription, you’ll have access to the show, along with live sports and news. Unfortunately, Sling Blue does not have a free trial option.
You can also watch the 2026 Met Gala via Peacock. The platform offers affordable plans starting at just $10.99 a month, or an annual plan for $109.99 a year (which gets you 12 months of streaming for the price of 10). Your subscription will give you access to E!, along with 50 “always-on” curated channels. There are no free trials for new users.
You can also watch the 2026 Met Gala via Hulu + Live TV, given that E! is included in the live TV channel lineup. The service also offers a three-day free trial to new users. A subscription to the service (with ads) will cost $89.99 per month, while the plan without ads goes for $99.99 per month. Both subscriptions give you access to watch fashion’s biggest night.
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Teyana Taylor performs “Bed of Roses” at Billboard Women In Music 2026.
At the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday night (April 29), Billboard Women in Music 2026 is honoring EJAE, REI AMI, AUDREY NUNA, Kehlani, Teyana Taylor, Ella Langley, Thalia, Zara Larsson, Laufey and Tate McRae.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 19:26:002026-05-01 19:26:00Teyana Taylor Performs ‘Bed of Roses’ | Billboard Women In Music 2026
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
iHeartCountry Festival is back for 2026, returning to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Saturday, May 2.
This year’s country music fest, taking place less than a week after Stagecoach, features a star-studded lineup of performers, including Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey and Lauren Alaina. The festival is hosted by American radio personality and iHeartRadio’s own Bobby Bones. Country musician George Birge was just added as a special guest. Tickets for the festival went on sale to the general public on Jan. 23 via Ticketmaster. Tickets to the festival are still available for purchase.
If you haven’t secured tickets or don’t want to make the trek to Austin, you can still catch the festival on May 2 from the comfort of your own home with a subscription to either Disney+ or Hulu, the official streamers of iHeartCountry Festival. The festival will air live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (7 p.m. CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide.
A standalone subscription to either Disney+ at $12 a month with ads or Hulu at $12 a month with ads will give you access to watch the festival live online. However, a more cost-effective option, overall, is to bundle both streamers together. A bundled subscription gives you both streaming services under one roof at $12.99 a month with ads and $19.99 without ads.
Essentially, you’re getting two streaming services for the price of one. If you choose not to bundle Hulu and Disney+, that’s a whopping $24 with ads. That’s not including pricing of premium subscriptions sans ads.
Fun fact: iHeartCountry Festival has been running annually since 2014. This year marks the festival’s 13th anniversary. Past acts who have graced the festival stage include Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 19:16:052026-05-01 19:16:05How to Watch Luke Bryan, Shaboozey & More Perform at iHeartCountry Festival Online
Sony Music Group’s publishing arm is negotiating with Blackstone in what could be a deal to acquire all of Recognition Music Group’s publishing assets, according to sources. The move comes on the heels of two prior asset sales by Blackstone to Sony, and also after the private equity firm assigned Sony Music Publishing to be the primary administrator of its song catalog.
Since 2017, Blackstone has amassed a portfolio of an estimated $4 billion in music assets, acquired by two of its separate investment teams. Beginning in 2021, a London-based Blackstone investment team spent around $800 million on music assets via Hipgnosis Songs Capital, and bought the administration arm of Hipgnosis Songs Management, before subsequently acquiring the publicly traded music catalog assets of Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $1.6 billion in April 2024. Before that, in January 2017, a New York-based investment team acquired SESAC for $1 billion, while in 2021, that team also acquired eOne Music, which it renamed MNRK Music Group, for $385 million.
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Subsequently, the Blackstone London team completed two asset-backed securitizations for a total of $1.842 billion against those former Hipgnosis assets, raising $1.47 billion in 2024 and another $372 million in mid-2025.
Along the way, in June 2025, Sony acquired Hipgnosis Songs Management — the administration arm of the rebranded Recognition Music Group — along with the contracts of the active current roster of songwriters and about 4,400 songs recorded by artists including Sabrina Carpenter and One Direction, for an undisclosed sum. In February 2026, Sony acquired a separate group of Recognition assets for more than $200 million, including works from songwriters including Jeff Bhasker and Jack Antonoff.
While one financial source suggests that the new potential deal only involves another piece of the Recognition catalog — similar to the first two deals between the two companies — other sources say that the possible deal being discussed is for the entire Recognition Music portfolio, which boasts some 45,000 titles and recordings from more than 145 catalogs, including songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Blondie, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Journey and Fleetwood Mac. If it’s the latter, sources suggest that deal valuation would come with a price tag of $2 billion or more.
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It’s unclear how Sony will finance the acquisition, but it’s not like the major doesn’t have enough resources of its own, let alone enough willing financial partners in other music assets acquisitions. In January of this year, Sony’spartnership with GIC, the Singapore sovereign fund, was announced with a commitment to invest up to $2 billion in music assets with the music giant. Prior to that, Apollo injected some $700 million into Sony’s deal to acquire Queen’s music assets, while Eldridge financially supported Sony’s acquisition of Bruce Springsteen’s music assets.
Meanwhile, all seems quiet currently on the SESAC front after a December 2024 initiative that saw Blackstone’s New York team fielding offers for the for-profit performance rights organization (PRO). This occurred after private equity interest in PROs was ignited by New Mountain Capital’s February 2024 acquisition of BMI and September 2024 press reports about negotiations for a majority stake in the boutique PRO Global Music Rights to trade hands from TPG to Hellman & Friedman. Ultimately, Blackstone didn’t get an offer rich enough to sell SESAC back then, according to sources who also say the PRO is not currently being shopped.
Both Sony and Recognition declined to comment for this story.
Elizabeth Dilts Marshall provided assistance in preparing this story.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-01 19:10:592026-05-01 19:10:59Sony Music Publishing Negotiating to Buy Recognition Music Group Assets From Blackstone
