Music fans came out in full force to support their favourite artists on Bandcamp in 2025. The online music marketplace has reported sales for its Bandcamp Fridays initiative, closing out 2025 with $19 million directed to musicians and labels, and a year-on-year rise for 2024.

Originally launched as a single-day effort in March 2020, to help artists at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as touring revenue collapsed, the recurring event has generated more than $154 million to date. On each Bandcamp Friday, the platform waives its revenue share, so that money spent on music goes straight to the creators.

The final Bandcamp Friday of the year, held earlier this month (Dec. 5), was the most successful of 2025, generating $3.8 million. The initiative will return in 2026 with eight scheduled dates, the first being Feb. 6.

In a statement, Dan Melnick, general manager at Bandcamp, said: “Five years on, Bandcamp Fridays continue to show just how powerful direct fan support can be. 2025 was another brilliant year for artists and labels, capped by our strongest Friday yet, and we’re incredibly excited to bring even more opportunities to the community in 2026.”

Bandcamp was established in 2008 by Ethan Diamond in Oakland, California. The platform has since become renowned for its direct-to-fan sales of digital music, merch, and vinyl, and has paid out more than $1.4bn to date to independent artists and labels, who get approximately 82% of the money made from each sale.

The site also has a community culture, where fans can curate wishlists, leave reviews of albums they have purchased, and message artists directly. 

According to Bandcamp’s 2025 roundup, the year’s best-selling albums on the platform included King Gizzard and The Wizard Lizard’s Phantom Island, Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee, Westside Gunn’s Heels Have Eyes 2 and Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1, a Bandcamp-exclusive release from the Foo Fighters.

Popular merch, meanwhile, ranged from a Bikini Kill fundraiser t-shirt for trans youth charities, alongside items from the likes of Magdalena Bay, Burial, Castle Rat and more.

BRISBANE, Australia — The Ten Tenors were handed the keys to the City of Brisbane on Wednesday evening, Dec. 17, an honor that sees the classical crossover outfit join the likes of local heroes the Bee Gees, Savage Garden and Powderfinger.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner presented members of TTT, past and present, and their producer D-J Wendt, with the award for “exceptional contributions” to the river city, coinciding with the ensemble’s 30^th anniversary.

“Tonight is one of those wonderful Brisbane moments where culture, talent, and history, and a bit of magic come together,” Schrinner remarked during a special function at City Hall.

“The highest honor that a city can give is the keys to the city,” he continued. “And tonight, that’s happening, and it is so well deserved. Now, that’s not something that we do lightly. It’s reserved for individuals or groups who have made an outstanding contribution to the city.”

The tradition dates back to mediaeval times, when cities were fortified by walls and with gates. To receive the keys “was a symbol of trust that the city is yours,” remarked Schrinner. “The city trusts you. The city is open to you.” In years past, that cohort has been selected largely from the city’s deep pool of world-class athletes.

With The Three Tenors as the template, TTT was established back in 1995 with a goal to make opera accessible and entertaining, blending pop, rock, classics and more.

To date, the group has sold over 3.5 million concert tickets for performances in 37 countries, covering 639 cities. Also, their 17 studio albums have sold more than 1.5 million units.  

“Like the song says, we still call Australia home,” Wendt told guests at Brisbane City Hall. “But for The Ten Tenors, Brisbane is home. Always will be. Together we’ve achieved so many incredible milestones, and this means the world to us.”

With the Lord Mayor looking on, Wendt made a cheeky pitch for the services of his act to perform the national anthem during the 2032 games.

And why not. Career highlights include shows at the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, a private party celebrating the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, and 100 other dignitaries in Petra in 2007, a performance for an official FIFA World Cup event in Poland, and for Oprah Winfrey’s “Ultimate Australian Adventure” at Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays back in 2010.

This evening’s 90-minute function was hosted by TV personality Melissa Downes; featured Q&As, covering life on the road, the origin of bandmates’ nicknames and more; navigating the challenges of the global financial crisis and the pandemic; and ended on a booming note as members of the TTT family took the stage for a rousing performance of “Nessun Dorma.”

“This business has taken us all around the world, many times,” Wendt remarked. And they’ll go again next year, for an extensive 30th anniversary run kicking off with shows in North America, then Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia.

There were no espressos, but the short ‘n’ sweet drinks were flowing as Seth Meyers and Sabrina Carpenter caught up for some day drinking and mischief, all of it taped for NBC’s Late Night.

With the holiday season upon us, and Sabrina enjoying an extraordinary two years in her career, there was every reason for the pop star to kick back and hit the diesel.

The pair got along like old barfly buddies at The Ripple Room in New York City, as Meyers enticed his guest to play several rounds of drinking games.

The day got away not with espresso martinis, but half-pints of beer. Followed by long drags from a punch bowl of Long Island iced tea, and a game of truth or drink.

Who did Carpenter write “Manchild” about? Drink.

What was the most unhinged thing she’s done to impress a crush? “I don’t think I’ve tried to impress anyone,” Carpenter responded. “That’s such a boring answer.” Yes it is.

Meyers then flipped the question. Someone stole an article of clothing from Carpenter’s house, we learned, to get her attention. Did it work? Sure did.

Carpenter turned the tables and had Meyers sing the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” wearing a serious face. Those high notes, however, were best left behind the bar.

Meyers came prepared. Coffee was (finally) brought into the action, as Carpenter looked down the barrel of the camera and read a tongue-twisting barista order. She hit it again with an Italian accent, acing it.

The good times flowed, as the pair donned red-light therapy masks, played a round of “pet sounds” (no, not the classic Beach Boys album), opened boozy presents while wearing oven mitts, and Sabrina decorated the funnyman like a Christmas tree.

No way is this a regular gig, Carpenter explained in one of the quotes of the day: “I’m usually sober when I’m working.”

“Day Drinking” is one of the most popular recurring segments on Late Night, with guests that have included Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Bowen Yang & Matt Rogers, Kristen Stewart, Paul Rudd and now Carpenter.

Late Night with Seth Meyers airs 12:35am ET/PT on NBC and next day on Peacock.

Watch Sabrina Carpenter’s day drinking session below.

A$AP Rocky is applying Burtonesque touches to his next studio album.

In a collaboration that fans have been tracking, with little success, for more than a year, the U.S. hip-hop star reveals Tim Burton is on board with his next project.

In an all-caps post, A$AP Rocky announces the end of a near-eight-year drought with Don’t Be Dumb, what will be his fourth studio album.

Burton, the legendary director behind such films as Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and Mars Attacks, created the artwork, which can be Rocky posted on his social accounts.

Rocky also alludes to a “movie,” which is understood to be the visual assets connected with the release.

“SORRY 4 THE WAIT DON’T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS TIM BURTON FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE! COMING SOON,” he writes.

The Mob frontman has teased the album on several occasions, including his performance last month at Camp Flog Gnaw, where he donned a hoodie with a set of numbers emblazoned across the right sleeve.

Those numbers, “01162026,” were seen as the strongest of hints at a Jan. 16, 2026, release date for the album. Or perhaps not.  That date also happens to be National Nothing Day, and Rocky has separately said the album is still slated to drop this year.  

“Danny Elfman, he just did my album with me that I’m putting out this year,” Rocky said during a conversation as part of Variety‘s Hollywood Issue. “He scored a bunch of the songs on my album.”

Elfman, for those keeping score, has frequently worked with scoring Burton’s films.

As part of his August 2024 cover story with Billboard, Rocky revealed he intended to have the Oscar-nominated director design the cover, but their schedules didn’t align to properly collaborate on the artwork.

That’s no longer the case.

“I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f–king with it heavy,” he said of Burton’s reaction to the music. “He was rocking his head and he’s like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!’” Elfman reportedly contributed to certain songs, including one produced by The Alchemist.

A$AP Rocky’s last album arrived in 2018 with TESTING, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, one his three top 10 appearances. The Harlem native has led the all-genres albums chart on two occasions, with 2013’s Long.Live.A$AP, and 2015’s AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP.

Don’t Be Dumb was originally intended for an Aug. 30, 2024 release, and has been beset with multiple delays.  Previously announced tracks on the collection include “Highjack,” “Tailor Swif,” “Ruby Rosary” and “Pray4DaGang.”

In the Chinese pop music scene, the name Zi Yu is quickly becoming one to watch. Not long ago, a special joint initiative by Billboard China and Tencent Music culminated in the 2025 Billboard Global No.1s China honors, where Zi Yu emerged as the country’s representative winner. After two rounds of fan voting and recommendations, the rising Mandopop artist clinched the No. 1 spot with his song “Quagmire,” earning him the title of China’s Global No. 1s honoree.

Released in August this year, “Quagmire” became Zi Yu’s first single to reach No. 1 on the Tencent Music charts. And beginning this summer, his popularity began to soar rapidly. Several subsequent singles such as “Too Deep,” “Say It Before Sunrise” and “Sunny Day After Rain” all went on to top the TME Uni Chart. He became one of the very few highly popular young artists in recent years to score five No. 1 hits in his debut chart year. Meanwhile, his music festival schedule has grown increasingly packed, and he recently announced his solo concert. Zi Yu is like a vibrant fish leaping into the vast ocean. Even if there are brief moments of panic, he still swims firmly toward the distance.

Lyricist-composer Li Shijue, who wrote “Quagmire,” once spoke about the inspiration behind the song in an interview: “I believe everyone has experienced a ‘quagmire moment,’ a low point in life. It’s not about the inspirational idea of ‘getting out of the quagmire,’ but about the courage to ‘stand firm inside it.’”

Zi Yu’s interpretation, he said, revealed a kind of “restrained resilience” in the young musician’s voice. This may also be an honest reflection of Zi Yu’s own path: before standing under the spotlight were countless moments of brave striving and trying; behind the current heat and attention were times of confusion and uncertainty. The once-introverted child now stands steady at center stage, passing strength to those who watch him, drawing continuous motivation from the listeners who love him.

Today, Zi Yu is growing at high speed as he explores the infinite possibilities within his music. “Too Deep” blends electronic and pop elements, challenging him with singing and dancing; “Her Path, Our Light” is a grand, emotional anthem; “Say It Before Sunrise” lets him release pure romance; “Sunny Day After Rain” expresses the strength of breaking free from a cocoon and the strength to emerge from the mud. His style has no fixed boundaries, but running through all his work is the same upward-moving, warm love and energy he insists on conveying.

As the 2025 Billboard Global No.1s China representative, Zi Yu now stands on a larger stage, being seen and recognized. And ahead of him, a vast future is slowly unfolding, waiting for him to keep swimming forward toward the boundless blue.

This story originally appeared on Billboard China.