Christmas is a time for giving, and sharing. But one unexpected gift from Gwen Stefani, some critics say, should come with a “return to sender” tag.

The No Doubt singer is partnering with prayer app Hallow, a move that blindsided many of her decades-long fans.

In a sponsored post earlier this month, Stefani promoted the service which is said to enable its users to get closer to God, for a monthly or yearly payment plan.

“It is important this holiday season to spend time in prayer. That is what Christmas is all about: letting God into our hearts and letting Jesus bring us his peace,” says Stefani, dressed in all-white and wearing a crucifix. “Download Hallow and join me and millions of others in praying every day this advent and Christmas season on Hallow.”

Stefani captioned the “paid partnership” post with the comment, “The season of Advent has always been a reminder to slow down, even when everything around us is moving so fast. It’s such a special time to reflect, pray and make room in your heart for Jesus.”

Since launching the promotion Dec. 2 on Instagram, Stefani’s post has captured more than 19,000 likes, and almost 2,000 comments.

Many are critical, none more so than “A Bit Fruity” podcast host Matt Bernstein, who pointed out that Hallow costs $70 per year, includes prayers and meditations that carry anti-abortion messages, and has connections with Vice President JD Vance and conservative venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” says Bernstein, “aka when Gwen Stefani shills for the right-wing anti-abortion pay-to-pray app, Hallow.”

Describing the service as a “pay to pray” app, Berstein says its creators have gone and recruited “everyone’s favorite Hollaback Girl. More like Hallow App Girl.”

Berstein sounds off, “if you’re looking for God this season, you don’t need to give these people $70 to find him. And Gwen Stefani, don’t you have enough goddamn money already?”

Their post has accumulated almost 280,000 likes and 6,000 comments, including one from Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, who wrote in the comments section: “Gwen-DON’T SPEAK, a reference to No Doubt’s 1996 hit. “Please take your own advice on this one.”

The timing of Stefani’s collaboration could prove to awkward. Stefani and No Doubt are reuniting for a residency next year at the MSG-owned Sphere in Las Vegas, As previously reported, an initial stretch of 12 shows were booked — and swiftly sold-out — for May 2026.  Another six have been added for next June, which are billed as “final” dates of the residency.

SYDNEY, Australia — With a string of new leadership promotions in Australian, Southeast Asia and further afield, Warner Music is laying down what its top brass anticipates will serve as a multi-lane highway for its artist roster.

Unveiled Wednesday, Dec. 10, Warner Music Australasia and SE Asia elevate several key executives, a move designed to fulfil the music giant’s mission — to take its local artists global, and make its global artists local.

The appointments include Alex Young’s promotion to VP domestic artists, Warner Music Australasia, a pivotal role overseeing all domestic areas including A&R, creative, and marketing, focusing on nurturing local talent, according to the company.

At the same time, Dan Ellis rises to VP, international artist strategy, WMA and SE Asia. Ellis will be integral in leading WMG’s global offering to its international artists across SE Asia and Australasia.

Young and Ellis report to Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia and SE Asia.

These changes, reads a statement, should “strengthen its domestic artist pipeline and accelerate the global export of music from the region.”

The new structure was unveiled just six weeks following Rosen’s own promotion, which saw the Sydney-based exec add duties for Warner Music’s recorded music activities across SE Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“It’s an incredible opportunity. Southeast Asia is an incredibly dynamic region with more than 500 million people living in the region,” Rosen tells Billboard.

“Each country is different, has its own unique culture, it’s own unique music industry, but the one common thread across all of it is, it’s dynamic. It’s growing. There’s wonderful entrepreneurialism in the region and a real desire to grow.”

Within the new structure, Young will be supported by Charlotte Kindred, who is promoted to head of domestic artist strategy, WMA, leading the day-to-day execution of domestic and export strategy.

Also, Sarah Thomas is elevated to artist relations & promotions manager Australasia export. In this newly-created role, Thomas will relocate from Sydney to New York, where she will establish new global networks and export opportunities for Australasian artists.

Ellis will be supported by Lucy Baker, who is promoted to head of PR, artist relations & wellbeing, with responsibilities for leading PR, artist relations, and radio promotional efforts for Australia and New Zealand.

Jordon Dionatos is appointed international artist strategy lead, Australasia and Lisan Yee is named as international artist strategy lead, SE Asia, based in Singapore.

Additionally, a new specialized structure will facilitate advanced digital and fan engagement with Manny Kupelian assuming the post as head of creator strategy, reporting jointly to Ellis and Young. Kupelian oversees the creator & influencer team across the region.

Finally, Mat Buck is promoted to GM streaming, social & community, while Luke Vespa is tapped as streaming & partnerships lead, reporting to Buck.

The new structure, reckons Rosen, represents a balance of agility and specialization, ensuring the music major has the know-how on the spot to seize opportunities in a region that’s home to recognized trigger markets Philippines and Indonesia, and the important English-language sources that are the lands down under.

“There’s an enormous opportunity for both our Australian and New Zealand artists, or regional artists from other parts of the APAC,” explains Rosen, “and then for our big global artists.” Southeast Asia “can be a really great catalyst” for WMA’s mission.

Australia’s music pipeline is gushing right now, as the likes of Amyl and The Sniffers, Dom Dolla, Ninajirachi, Confidence Man, Royel Otis and many others cross borders, and enjoy “global” status.

WMA’s domestic roster includes Boy Soda, who collected his first ARIA Award last month, and Kita Alexander, who performed at the recording industry’s flagship ceremony.

“It’s exciting that there is so much talent coming out of Australia and New Zealand again,” enthuses Rosen. “There’s a new generation of artists that are ‘born global’. From day one, they understand the global platform world that we live in, but still understand that they’ve got to be great live acts, build fans, be authentic, and be great storytellers. I think we’re on the precipice of this next wave of Aussie and Kiwi artists on the world.”

MELBOURNE — Australia’s K-pop fans can let it all out next year at a dedicated day-long music festival.

The first edition of 안녕, MELBOURNE (“Hello Melbourne”) will be presented March 14, 2026 at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse, a new show that will sit alongside the market’s rock, indie, dance, country and multi-genre events.

Announced Wednesday, Dec. 10, the new event is made possible by a partnership struck by APPLEWOOD, a leading live player in K-pop and Asian entertainment, and Australian independents concerts and festivals specialist Untitled Group.

Details of the lineup will be announced this Friday.

Established in 2013, APPLEWOOD has produced major tours for the likes of SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, BAEKHYUN, LE SSERAFIM, GFRIEND and G-DRAGON, and orchestrated BLACKPINK’s 2019 world tour, which smashed records with six sold-out arena shows in Bangkok, Thailand.

In those years since launch, the business has produced more than 120 shows and attracting over 750,000 attendees across 20-plus cities in 18 markets, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and, next year, Australia.

Meanwhile, Untitled Group is celebrating its 10th anniversary, during which time the business has produced a slate of popular festivals, including Beyond The Valley and Wildlands.

In 2024, Untitled Group shifted over 630,000 tickets across its events and tours, including Dom Dolla’s Australian tour, which set a new record for a homegrown DJ with 170,000 tickets sold. Untitled’s festivals portfolio includes Pitch Music & Arts, Ability Fest, and the team produced the domestic leg of RÜFÜS DU SOL’s recent, record-setting world tour.

Australia has a deeper connection with some of the biggest names in K-pop, with the likes of Danielle and Hanni from NewJeans, Rose from BLACKPINK, and Stray Kids pair BangChan and Felix all boasting roots from these parts.

K-pop is a big, and growing business in these parts — both on the national charts and live stages. TWICE’s recent This Is For tour of Australia sold more than 50,000 tickets sold across Sydney and Melbourne, according to Live Nation, which produced those dates, while the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack dominated both the ARIA Singles and Albums Charts at stages this year.

Data presented last year by Live Nation found that the genre is hot in Australasia, with a 600% increase in the number of Asia Pop live shows reported from 2015, and, at the same time, a 275% spike in the number of touring artists passing through.

The inaugural Soundcheck report, published last year by Creative Australia, found that Australia hosts more than 500 festivals. Electronic dance music was the boss, accounting for almost one in four music festivals in Australia (23% of festivals), ahead of rock (21%), country (19%) and indie (17%).

Gene Simmons, co-founder and bass player of the band KISS, told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday (Dec. 9) that paying recording artists for broadcast radio performances isn’t just a matter of fairness; it’s a matter of patriotism. “If you are against this bill, you are un-American,” said Simmons, who veered from typical Congressional hearing practice by making his introductory remarks without notes.  

Simmons appeared at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property titled Balancing the Interests of Local Radio, Songwriters, and Performers in the Digital Age, which hosted various industry professionals’ viewpoints on the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill that would require broadcast radio companies to pay for the performance of sound recordings. Radio stations pay for the performance of musical works through licenses with performance rights organizations such as ASCAP and BMI, as well as for any performances of sound recordings on the internet. But they do not pay record labels or performing artists when they play music over the air — something the music industry has fruitlessly combated for years. 

“I’m here to kindly ask all of you, both Republicans and Democrats, to help us remedy a situation, an injustice,” Simmons said with his wife, Shannon Tweed, son Nick and daughter Sophie seated in the gallery behind him. “Let’s call it for what it is, an injustice that’s been ongoing for many, many decades.” The 76-year-old rocker conceded that he doesn’t need radio royalties — “I’ve done well thanks to the American dream,” he said — but underscored the importance of supporting young artists during their financially precarious early years. “This is for our children and for our children’s children,” he said. “We can’t just let them out in the cold and not have a way to get paid for their hard work.” 

Elsewhere at the hearing, Henry Hinton, president and CEO of Inner Banks Media, a small broadcast radio company that serves Eastern North Carolina, took the opposing view. “Radio is free to our listeners, but it is not free to those of us who provide it,” he said. “Radio stations pay countless fees, including annual FCC regulatory fees, copyright royalties to performing rights organizations like ASCAP, BMI, CSAC, GMR and streaming collectives like SoundExchange. Local broadcasters today compete against tech giants and global streaming services, some of whom ironically are now trying to emulate the essence of radio on their platforms. Streaming services are able to recoup costs through subscriptions and fees that they charge to their users. We cannot.” 

Simmons seemed to relish playing a good-natured foil to Hinton’s business case against the AMFA. “I’m not here to demonize Mr. Hinton or the radio stations,” he said. “We need each other. Performers need radio; radio needs performers. But for God’s sake, equitable doesn’t mean you get zero and radio makes $14 billion just this last year. That’s not equitable — I know it’s a big word, like gymnasium, but come on, Hinton, let’s get with it. Let’s become American.” 

The pros and cons voiced during Tuesday’s AMFA hearing echoed those from one held about the bill in 2024 before a House Judiciary subcommittee. During that earlier hearing, chairman Darrell Issa (R-OH) suggested that lawmakers had grown impatient and warned broadcasters that Congressional intervention would be more painful than a rate they negotiated with record labels. “And if you don’t take that, [then] quite frankly you have to live with the consequences,” Issa told Curtis LeGeyt, president/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, at the time.  

On Tuesday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) often took a combative stance toward Hinton, telling him that his station is “causing harm” to musicians by not paying a performance royalty. “You’ve got an oldies station,” Blackburn told Hinton. “You’ve never paid Sam Moore’s estate a dime for ‘Soul Man.’” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who painted himself as a frequent radio listener, was more conciliatory toward radio stations’ financial state. “I just want to let you know I acknowledge all the concerns that you’ve raised,” Schiff said to Hinton.” I think we’ve tried to strike a fair balance in this, but I am mindful of the financial pressure you describe, and I don’t want to act as if we’re not aware of that.” 

Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, urged the senators not to pay heed to broadcasters’ talking points that have sunk previous efforts to create a performance right. A performance right is not a tax, he said, because the bill would simply require businesses to pay for content just as they pay for other services. Radio broadcasters have long argued that compensation for performances isn’t merited because radio promotes artists’ work, but Huppe contested that claim. “I doubt broadcasters even believe it — 72% of the music they play on the radio is not current and therefore not promoting new music at all,” he said.  

Morgan Wallen‘s Sand in My Boots Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, will not return in 2026, according to city officials and executives at AEG.

The mayor of Gulf Shores originally told the City Council that the 2026 version of the festival was canceled due to a lack of available artists, according to People. During a public meeting, Mayor Robert Craft said, “We will refuse to let them go back to the acts we’ve had before, so they couldn’t do it,” adding, “So they canceled the 2026 event but they’ve got time now to pursue the type of talent we want on our beaches, to invite the right audience that we want on our beaches.”

Craft later clarified his comments, issuing a written statement that read: “The city’s initial 10-year franchise agreement for the Hangout Music Festival was scheduled to conclude following the 2025 event. The city elected to defer consideration of the requested extension until the festival’s outcomes could be evaluated, with input from our residents.”

The country music festival began as Hangout Music Festival, created by A.J. Niland, Shaul Zislin and Lilly Zislin in 2009. In 2015, AEG-owned Goldenvoice entered a partnership to produce the festival and programmed the 40,000-person festival and continued operating the event through 2024 with headliners Lana Del Rey, Zach Bryan and ODESZA. Last year, the festival was rebranded with Morgan Wallen as the title artist, with support from Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn, Hardy, T-Pain, Diplo, The War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down and Future Islands.

Craft added that “this year’s festival received overwhelming community support, and in late July, the City Council approved a two‑year extension” for the festival to return in May 2026. “However, the compressed timeline created by this decision did not provide organizers sufficient runway to produce a successful festival in 2026. As a result, the producers have elected not to proceed with a 2026 event.”

Officials with AEG issued their own statement about the festival, telling Billboard, “The decision to not move forward with a festival for 2026 was tied to Hangout Festival and the permitting approval timeline for the site. We will share news about future events at the site at the appropriate time.”

Craft noted that Gulf Shores officials expected the festival to return in 2027, noting, “We appreciate that they are being thoughtful in creating a lineup that will be impactful to our local economy. All parties are focused on planning a strong and well‑executed music festival, and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2027.”