David Bowie’s 1977 classic “Heroes” is seeing a major resurgence on streaming platforms following its prominent placement in the finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which premiered Dec. 31.
According to new Luminate data, the song experienced a spike of nearly 500% in streams after soundtracking the end credits of the series’ final episode.
Over the previous five months, “Heroes” had averaged approximately 94,000 daily streams. That figure jumped sharply in the days following the finale’s release, reaching roughly 342,000 streams on Jan. 1, 456,000 on Jan. 2, and 470,000 on Jan. 3 — representing a 3.6- to 5-times increase over its typical daily performance.
The placement marked a full-circle moment for the series, which has become closely associated with 1980s music throughout its run.
In earlier seasons, the show famously used a cover of “Heroes” by Peter Gabriel, making the finale’s use of Bowie’s original recording a deliberate callback.
In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that the idea to use Bowie’s version came from cast member Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington.
“It was actually Joe Keery who suggested that we do the Bowie version,” Ross Duffer said. “Once Joe said that, we immediately knew that was the right song to end the show on because it is, in some ways, an anthem for Stranger Things. To use the original Bowie version just felt fitting for the conclusion.”
Keery also saw a streaming boost of his own following the finale. His music project Djo experienced renewed attention, with his 2022 track “End of Beginning” climbing to No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Chart this week, according to Rolling Stone, displacing Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” which had held the top spot for several weeks.
Music has long played a central role in Stranger Things, which helped reintroduce a new generation of listeners to catalog tracks from the 1980s. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” famously returned to global charts in 2022 after appearing in Season Four, while the finale also featured Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain.”
The Duffer Brothers told Tudum that music selection was especially critical in the final episode, which centered around a record player used as a key plot device. “We never talked about a song choice as much as we did for that moment,” Ross Duffer said. “We knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around. I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince.”
“Purple Rain” has seen a 243% increase in Spotify streams, with global Gen Z listeners driving a reported 577% surge.
Bruno Mars took to social media on Jan. 5 to casually drop one of his most anticipated updates in years: “My album is done.”
The post marked his first confirmation of a new solo project since 24K Magic, his Grammy-winning 2016 LP that spawned hits like “That’s What I Like” and “24K Magic” and swept six trophies at the 2018 Grammys.
While he hasn’t been absent from the spotlight — thanks to the wildly successful Silk Sonic collaboration with Anderson .Paak and a string of high-profile features — this marks Mars’ first solo studio album in nearly a decade.
In the time since 24K Magic, the pop icon has been selective with his output but impactful when he drops. In 2021, Mars and .Paak released An Evening With Silk Sonic, an homage to ’70s funk and soul that earned rave reviews and swept the Grammys.
In 2024, he featured on the global No. 1 hit “APT.” with BLACKPINK’s Rosé. By the start of 2025, “APT.” had become the first No. 1 song by a K-pop artist on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, and in April, it scored a record-extending 19th week atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart — ultimately topping the year-end editions of the latter chart and the Billboard Global 200.
The song had nearly 4.9 billion official on-demand global streams through Nov. 27, according to Luminate.
In September, “APT.” won song of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards — a first for a K-pop act — and in November, it earned three Grammy Award nominations, including for record and song of the year.
Mars also released “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga in 2024, and the playfully provocative “Fat Juicy & Wet” with Sexyy Red in 2025.
He’s also stayed in orbit of the rock world, most recently performing at an all-star corporate holiday party alongside Slash, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, and others.
He’s also stayed in orbit of the rock world, most recently performing at an all-star corporate holiday party alongside Slash, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, and others — suggesting the new album could carry more eclectic, live instrumentation influences.
Whatever the direction, it’s clear Bruno Mars is gearing up for another chart-dominating chapter.
2025 had plenty of memorable moments. Beyoncé finally won album of the year at the 67th annual Grammys for her masterful Cowboy Carter. Kendrick Lamar gave an incredibly memorable – and meme-generating – Super Bowl performance, and cleaned up at the Grammys with “Not Like Us” only a week before. Lady Gaga caused a lot of Mayhem. The KPop Demon Hunters dominated with HUNTR/X’s “Golden.” Justin Bieber surprise-dropped Swag. Liam and Noel Gallagher reunited for an Oasis tour. By releasing I’m the Problem, Morgan Wallen hit new highs. Alex Warren made a not-so-“Ordinary” entrance into pop superstardom. The general existence of Taylor Swift – from reclaiming her masters to The Life of a Showgirl’s record-breaking premiere. (Oh and of course her engagement.) Rosalía stunned with Lux. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became the longest-running No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And the list goes on from there.
But with the new year comes new focus on what comes next in the world of music. There’s a lot to be hopeful for – especially with some of our favorites in mind. Will Olivia Rodrigo drop her third studio full-length? What is going on with Swift’s feature directorial film? Who will Bad Bunny bring out during the Super Bowl halftime show – if anyone? What surprises are in store that we can’t even predict? Are any reunions happening that we don’t know about yet?
Scroll below for 13 things we hope happen in 2025 – from long-awaited albums to movie debuts and more.
A new lawsuit claims the alleged monopoly exercised by Live Nation and Ticketmaster forced an upstart competitor called Fanimal out of business.
The case, filed on Tuesday (Dec. 30) in federal court, is the latest in a slew of antitrust lawsuits to allege Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully cornered the live events industry since merging in 2010. A blockbuster Department of Justice (DOJ) suit seeks to force the two companies apart, and consumers are pursuing their own damages in multiple class actions.
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This time, the plaintiff is a would-be rival: ticketing platform Fanimal. The company was founded in 2018 with an emphasis on transparent pricing and easily split group ticket purchases, but it shut down and was sold to TickPick in 2024.
“Fanimal was an innovative ticketing start-up focused on fans,” reads the lawsuit. “It had venture capital backing, a fast-growing user base of more than 250,000, and a projected valuation of more than $100 million within just a few years. But Fanimal fell prey to Defendants’ anticompetitive practices and was forced to shutter its ticketing business and sell its parts.”
Like the DOJ and consumer lawsuits, Fanimal’s complaint alleges Live Nation has used its control of the concert promotion market to force major venues into using Ticketmaster as their exclusive ticket brokers.
Fanimal says it had the capacity to provide ticketing for major concert venues, but Ticketmaster’s exclusive contracts made it impossible to compete for these opportunities. According to the lawsuit, this alleged ceiling on Fanimal’s scaling capacity closed the door on further venture capital funding.
Now, Fanimal is seeking to recoup its financial losses from Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The complaint states that as a result of the companies’ anticompetitive conduct, it had to sell to TickPick for “a modest amount.”
Reps for Live Nation and Ticketmaster declined to comment on the new lawsuit on Monday (Jan. 5). The companies have previously denied wielding any monopolistic power, arguing that competition in the live events space has actually increased since their merger.
The DOJ case is currently scheduled to go to trial in May. Meanwhile, a broad swath of ticket buyers was granted class certification in a suit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster last month, and a narrower group of Taylor Swift fans overcame a key dismissal motion in November to keep pursuing antitrust claims tied to the Eras Tour presale.
A judge has denied Royel Otis guitarist Royel Maddell’s attempt to identify the anonymous Reddit users who accused him of grooming an underage student when he was a music teacher.
In a Dec. 24 order, Judge William Alsup said Maddell (real name Leroy Bressington) hasn’t met the requirements for a subpoena unmasking the Redditors who claimed he had been found guilty of having sex with a minor pupil. Maddell said he needed this information to bring a defamation lawsuit in his home state of Australia — but the federal judge was unconvinced that the guitarist would actually follow through.
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“No litigation to stop these statements has been filed anywhere in the world,” wrote Judge Alsup. “So far as we know, Bressington never has put pen to paper to inform any government authority anywhere in the world about the matters that concern this application, until submitting it now.”
The judge also pointed out that while Maddell declares he has never been charged or convicted of sexual misconduct by any criminal authorities, he “has not specifically rejected as false one of the most basic assertions alleged: that when not a minor he had sex with a minor.”
The ruling held that these factors ultimately weighed against ordering a subpoena against Reddit. Maddell’s reps did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday (Jan. 5), nor did the social media platform.
Maddell makes up one half of Royel Otis alongside singer Otis Pavlovic. The indie-pop duo landed their first Billboard No. 1 chart entry in May with “Moody,” though the song’s hook, “My girl’s a b–h when she’s moody,” attracted accusations of misogyny.
It was in the wake of the controversy around “Moody” that users on Reddit began claiming that Maddell had an improper sexual relationship with a student years earlier. The claims caught fire, leading to the creation of an entire subreddit titled “Royel Otis Allegations.”
Maddell got lawyers involved, asking for Reddit’s help in unmasking the users who started the scandal. But the social media company declined, citing free speech and privacy concerns. Maddell’s attorneys then took Reddit to court in October, arguing that the company “continues to allow these defamatory posts to remain on its platform and to spread beyond it.”
SZA fans aren’t going to want to snooze on a new opportunity to hang out with the star one on one, an experience she’s offering up to support Freedom for Sudan’s cause.
In an Instagram post on Monday (Jan. 5), SZA boosted the announcement that she’ll be auctioning off a personal fan experience for Freedom for Sudan’s upcoming fundraiser. The hangout will take place on Zoom, unless the highest bidder also lives in Los Angeles.
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“I WANNA ADD THAT IF YOU LIVE IN LA WE CAN HANG OUT IN PERSON !!!” the hitmaker wrote in her caption, sharing one of the auction posters. “ANYTHING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT.”
In the comments, SZA teased what the winner can expect from their time together. “WE CAN DO ANYTHING!!” she wrote. “SING CRY DO YOGA MEDITATE TALK S–T ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS DANCE LISTEN TO MUSIC BECOME BESTIES , MAKE MOOD BOARDS TOGETHER AND PLAN FUTURE HANG OUTS !!! ALL TYPES OF S–TTT CALL MEEEEE.”
In addition to the hangout, SZA is putting up a signed five-piece merchandise bundle for the six-day auction, which kicks off Tuesday (Jan. 6). Other famous participants include The Weeknd, who will auction off two premium tickets to one of his future concerts, and Olivia Rodrigo, whose specific contribution hasn’t been announced. Central Cee, PinkPantheress and more are taking part as well.
“Get closer to your favourite artists & support the people of Sudan in their mission to end the violence and exploitation and rebuild with a civilian government,” reads a description of the auction on Freedom for Sudan’s Instagram. “100% of proceeds to Sudanese non-profits.”
The new initiative comes amid a period of turmoil for the people of Sudan, who have reportedly faced famine and alleged genocidal violence since civil war broke out in April 2023. According to BBC News, more than 120,000 people had died in the conflict as of November 2025.
SZA has also been on a charitable streak in recent months. In December, she performed at Top Dawg Entertainment’s annual benefit concert, and the month prior, she teamed up with Los Angeles restaurant Jon & Vinny’s to provide 1,400 free meals in partnership with her Not Charity.
Leaders of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private agency that has steered federal funding to PBS, NPR and hundreds of public television and radio stations across the country, voted Monday to dissolve the organization that was created in 1967.
CPB had been winding down since Congress acted last summer to defund its operations at the encouragement of President Donald Trump. Its board of directors chose Monday to shutter CPB completely instead of keeping it in existence as a shell.
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“CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks,” said Patricia Harrison, the organization’s president and CEO.
Many Republicans have long accused public broadcasting, particularly its news programming, of being biased toward liberals but it wasn’t until the second Trump administration — with full GOP control of Congress — that those criticisms were turned into action.
Ruby Calvert, head of CPB’s board of directors, said the federal defunding of public media has been devastating.
“Even at this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country because it is critical to our children’s education, our history, culture and democracy to do so,” Calvert said.
CPB said it was financially supporting the American Archive of Public Broadcasting in its effort to preserve historic content, and is working with the University of Maryland to maintain its own records.
This story was originally published by The Associated Press.
Country Radio Broadcasters has revealed the lineup for the New Faces of Country Music Show at this year’s Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville.
Kelsey Hart, Ella Langley, Chase Matthew, John Morgan, Meghan Patrick and Josh Ross will each take the stage to perform for top country radio programmers during CRS, which is set for March 18-20 at the Omni Hotel Nashville.
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The New Faces of Country Music Show has been one of CRS’s premier events, one that highlights rising artists who are making an impact in the genre and have gained momentum at country radio during the qualification period. Since launching in 1970, the event has showcased new country music talent, with previous New Faces performers including Tim McGraw, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Jelly Roll.
Langley has earned hits including the six-week Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-topper “Choosin’ Texas,” which is also currently at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. Langley also took home honors including song and single of the year at the 2025 CMA Awards.
Hart is known for songs including his 2025 radio single “Fireworks” and his Billboard Country Airplay top 30 hit “Life With You.” Matthew reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in November with his hit “Darlin’,” and also released his third album, Chase, in 2025.
Morgan released his debut album, Carolina Blue, in April, and earned a No. 2 hit on the Country Airplay chart with his Jason Aldean collab “Friends Like That.” He is also known for his work writing songs recorded by Aldean, among them the Carrie Underwood collab “If I Didn’t Love You,” as well as “Trouble With a Heartbreak.”
Patrick’s single “Golden Child” has been a mainstay at country radio over the past year, and Patrick will launch her headlining Golden Child tour in February. She will also release her new project, Golden Child (The Final Chapter), on Friday (Jan. 9). Meanwhile, Ross hit No. 1 on Billboard Canada Country Airplay chart with his song “Hate How You Look” in December and will headline his 17-show Bud Light Presents Later Tonight tour across Canada beginning Feb. 6.
Bay Area rapper LaRussell is looking to blaze a new path for independent artists to sell their music directly to fans.
Celebrities like NBA star Kyrie Irving and Snoop Dogg have stepped up to support LaRussell’s direct-to-consumer model, while Irving dished out $11,001 for the rapper’s upcoming Something’s in the Water album on the EVEN platform.
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LaRussell woke up to a record $11,001 payment and realized it was none other than the Dallas Mavericks superstar guard over the weekend.
Irving hopped on the phone during LaRussell’s livestream Sunday and gave the rapper his flowers for being a trailblazer in the independent space and bucking the traditional streaming model.
“You earned it. You deserve it. You worked your ass off so I thought I would just contribute,” Kyrie told him. “I know you will pay it forward… I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”
LaRussell is looking to sell 100,000 copies of his album in 30 days. He generated $57,000 from 2,600 fans in the first 24 hours of putting his new album on sale.
West Coast legend Snoop Dogg also paid it forward while donating $2,500 for the album. “Had 2 do it!!! nefew [LaRussell] changin tha game,” he wrote on X.
“UNCLE SNOOP BOUGHT AN ALBUM FOR $2,500!!!! It feels so good knowing those who came before me and paved a way for me to do what I do respects my art and my grind,” LaRussell responded on IG. “I wouldn’t do what I do today If I never watched Snoop performing on the Up In Smoke DVD!!! That DVD kicked off my desire to rap!! I’M GRATEFUL Thank You @snoopdogg.”
Comedian Cedric the Entertainer paid $1,000 for the album. Plenty of LaRussell’s peers like E-40, Symba and Drumma Boy saluted his vision in his comments section. While fans can pay as little as $1, according to a press release, the average album sale is currently $22.
“The possibility of failing publicly and having to live in that,” LaRussell added in a statement. “Aim for something that you might miss, because who you become along that journey is what really matters. You don’t know what’s going to make you until you do something that could break you as well.”
LaRussell releases music at a vociferous pace as he put out seven albums in 2025, with the most recent being his Good Ethica project with Ethika Music.
Other rappers in the past have attempted different variations of the direct-to-consumer model, like the late Nipsey Hussle, who sold his Crenshaw mixtape for $100 in 2013, which drew Jay-Z’s support as Hov purchased 100 copies.
