Powerhouse regional Mexican label Rancho Humilde is locked in a bitter legal dispute with one of its fastest rising acts, the California-based band Fuerza Regida.

Rancho Humilde filed a lawsuit in September accusing the band of breaching its record deal by unilaterally doing features for other artists and inking live performance contracts with Apple Music and Live Nation. Fuerza Regida countersued a month later, alleging the indie label withheld millions of dollars in royalties and tried to “sabotage” its success — including by leaving it off Latin Grammy Awards submissions.

The dueling legal claims, moved from a California state courthouse to federal court on Oct. 20, reveal a stunning breakdown in the relationship between Fuerza Regida and its longtime label home. The fight comes just as Fuerza Regida’s star is on the rise; the band made history in May when 111XPANTIA debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting Spanish-language album ever by a duo or group.

Fuerza Regida, a quintet of regional Mexican hitmakers from San Bernardino, signed with Jimmy Humilde’s label in 2018. The band now puts out music via a joint venture between Rancho Humilde and its own Street Mob Records, with distribution by Sony Music Latin.

Rancho Humilde’s lawsuit is focused on exclusivity language in the label’s original record deal with Fuerza Regida, which allegedly entitled the label to a seat at the table and a cut of proceeds for all recording and touring contracts. According to Rancho Humilde, Fuerza Regida violated this deal by performing unauthorized features for other artists and not sharing the royalties.

The lawsuit lists 27 offending songs, including “Qué Onda,” Fuerza Regida’s Billboard Hot 100 entry from 2023 with Calle 24 and Chino Pacas, and “Modo Capone,” the band’s 2024 collaboration with Pacas and Drake that hit No. 11 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Rancho Humilde says Fuerza Regida also disregarded exclusivity by contracting directly with Apple Music this past summer for a live concert taping in Mexico City, as well as with Live Nation for U.S. tours in 2023 and 2024.

“[Rancho Humilde] has suffered damages, including, but not limited to, lost royalties, advances, fees, market-share and other compensation that should have been directed to Sony and accounted to [Rancho Humilde], lost shares of touring revenues [and] lost income from unauthorized deals such as the Apple agreement,” says the lawsuit. “The exact amount of damages is subject to proof at trial but exceeds $15 million.”

Fuerza Regida, however, tells a very different story in its countersuit. The band claims Rancho Humilde is actually the one who has breached their record deal by failing to pay millions of dollars in royalties and stonewalling audit requests.

The countersuit also says Rancho Humilde has engaged in “systematic financial malfeasance” by refusing to revert master recordings back to the band as required by the record deal, as well as by using “clandestine arrangements” with Live Nation to siphon off touring profits.

“In addition to its fraudulent schemes and systematic contract breaches, Rancho and its principal Jimmy Humilde escalated to a malicious campaign of active sabotage designed to destroy [Fuerza Regida’s] professional relationships and career opportunities within the entertainment industry,” reads the countersuit.

Fuerza Regida says that as part of this campaign of “sabotage,” Rancho Humilde requested that Sony remove the band from Latin Grammy Awards submissions in 2024, even though they had been a top-selling act that year.

Additionally, the countersuit claims Jimmy Humilde sent “threatening and intimidating text messages” to Apple’s head of Latin music in an attempt to “derail” Fuerza Regida’s live concert taping. Overall, Fuerza Regida is seeking at least $25 million in damages from the label.

In a statement to Billboard on Monday (Oct. 27), the band’s attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich says, “Rancho Humilde and Jimmy Humilde have for years engaged in brazen self-dealing, enriching itself at the expense of our client Fuerza Regida.”

“Rancho’s bad faith state court lawsuit against Fuerza was the last straw,” adds Freundlich. “After our removal, the disputes will air in federal court where Rancho must now respond to our detailed claims of wrongdoing.”

Reps for Rancho Humilde did not return a request for comment.

The Fuerza Regida fight is not Rancho Humilde’s only ongoing legal battle with top talent. Regional Mexican artist Codiciado, who was signed to Rancho Humilde as part of the ensemble Grupo Codiciado but has since parted ways and gone solo, sued the label in June, alleging it infringed his intellectual property by getting the rest of the band back together with a new act called Los Codicia2. Rancho Humilde has not yet responded to Codiciado’s claims.

With two nominations, Ninajirachi could seriously cash in at the first-ever New South Wales Music Prize, the finalists for which were unveiled on Monday, Oct. 27.

The Central Coast-raised artist, DJ and producer’s 2024 girl EDM collection is shortlisted for the main prize, the most lucrative in the Australian music industry which carries with it a A$80,000 ($52,000) winner’s check.

Ninajirachi is also a chance for NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year, with a A$40,000 ($26,000) cash prize.

The 26-year-old’s star is on the rise. With eight nominations at next month’s ARIA Awards, Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson) is the leader of the pack. Separately, her debut full length album I Love My Computer (via NLV Records) is one of nine titles shortlisted for the coveted 2025 Australian Music Prize, awarded each year to the outstanding Australian album of original work from the previous year, judged by a music industry panel. In August, she was named as Billboard’s dance rookie of the month.

Other two-time NSW Music Prize nominees include 3% (Kill the Dead), BARKAA (Big Tidda), Shady Nasty (Trek) and SPEED (Only One Mode). Also in the hunt is Royel Otis, RÜFÜS DU SOL, ONEFOUR and more.

The Minns government in July announced the new prize to “celebrate, support and incentivise” the state’s most talented artists, with “the aim of inspiring the next generations of stars.”

All told, 15 artists have a chance of winning a combined prize pool of A$160,000 ($104,000), delivered by Sound NSW and decided by panels of contemporary music experts.

The three categories are:

• A$80,000 NSW Music Prize, to be awarded to the NSW artist or act whose release has had the most significant impact.
• A$40,000 NSW First Nations Music Prize for an NSW First Nations artist or act whose release has had significant and meaningful impact.
• A$40,000 NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year for an emerging

Awarding the prize “will provide a vital financial boost for the winners and a big incentive for the next generation of aspiring stars,” says John Graham, NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy. He adds, “we want to boost their careers, recognize the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”

“Unless we back local musicians, the wave of algorithmically enhanced American music will continue to swamp us. We have amazing song writers and world class live performers here in NSW and this is a moment to celebrate them.

The winners will be announced at the NSW Music Prize awards ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney on Nov. 24 — the week following the ARIA Awards.

“When you look at these names you can see how much talent we have in NSW,” Graham adds. “We want to boost their careers, recognise the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”

Visit the Sound NSW website for more.

NSW Music Prize

3% (Kill the Dead)

BARKAA (Big Tidda)

Kobie Dee (Chapter 26)

Ninajirachi (girl EDM)

ONEFOUR (Look At Me Now)

Party Dozen (Crime in Australia)

RÜFÜS DU SOL (Inhale / Exhale)

Shady Nasty (Trek)

SPEED (Only One Mode)

Vv Pete & Utility (Varvie World)

NSW First Nations Music Prize

3% (Kill the Dead)

BARKAA (Big Tidda)

Djanaba (Did I Stutter?)

Stiff Gins (Crossroads)

Ziggy Ramo (Human?)

NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year ($40,000)

Don West

Ninajirachi

Royel Otis

Shady Nasty

SPEED

LE SSERAFIM’s new collaboration with BTS’ j-hope has topped this week’s new music poll.

In a poll published Friday (Oct. 24) by Billboard, music fans chose the powerhouse team-up’s “Spaghetti” as their favorite new release of the week.

“Spaghetti” earned 77% of the vote, beating out new projects from Demi Lovato (It’s Not That Deep), Megan Thee Stallion (“LOVER GIRL”), Bruce Springsteen (Nebraska ’82), Daniel Caesar (Son of Spergy), Leon Thomas (Pholks), and more.

The track serves as the lead single from LE SSERAFIM’s eight-track HYBE compilation of the same name and marks j-hope’s first-ever feature on a K-pop girl group song.

Earlier in the week, the song was teased through a YouTube video titled “The Kick,” featuring j-hope in a Matrix-inspired outfit and shades, surrounded by flashing strobe lights. The clip ends with a snippet of LE SSERAFIM members — KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE — delivering the line “eat it up.”

Speaking with Billboard Philippines, LE SSERAFIM shared insights into the making of “Spaghetti.” The song “expresses LE SSERAFIM’s charm that you just can’t get away from, like spaghetti that’s stuck in your teeth,” SAKURA said. “The part where we sing ‘eat it up’ over and over is the highlight, and since each of us members delivers it in our own styles, it adds even more playfulness to the song.”

LE SSERAFIM have been on a hot streak this year. In March, the group’s album HOT debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, marking their fifth top 10 entry and second chart-topper after 2024’s Crazy.

Placing second in this week’s poll was Lovato’s new album, It’s Not That Deep, which secured 7% of the vote.

Check out the full results of this week’s poll below, and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear new releases.

Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter made a rare live appearance during a surprise DJ set with Fred again.. in Paris.

On Saturday (Oct. 25), the duo went B2B at Paris’ Centre Pompidou as part of Because Beaubourg, a two-day celebration marking the 20th anniversary of French record label Because Music. They were joined by fellow DJs Erol Alkan and Busy P.

The performance marked Bangalter’s first DJ set in 16 years. During the set, the French musician spun a mix of Daft Punk classics — including “Contact,” “Rollin’ & Scratchin’,” and “Digital Love” — as well as The Chemical Brothers’ “Galvanise” and Jonny Greenwood’s score for One Battle After Another, according to NME.

Saturday’s performance was also the final show at the Centre Pompidou before the venue closes for renovations over the next five years. Check out the livestream here.

“Last night I got to play with Thomas Bangalter, Erol Alkan, Busy P at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the last night before it closes for 5 years,” Fred Again.. wrote on Instagram. “Thomas told me in this lift on the way down to the show that the first time he fell in love with electronic music was in this building in 1992. He also told me hasn’t played a proper set without the mask on for 24 years. I didn’t know what to say to either of those things and I still don’t.”

The electronic producer added, “All I said to him at the end is that I hope it isn’t 24 years til the next.”

Iconic dance artists flooded the comments to share their excitement. “Legendary!!” Tiësto wrote, while David Guetta added “wow,” accompanied by several raised-hand emojis.

Daft Punk’s last live performance took place alongside The Weeknd at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Since the pioneering French electronic duo announced their split in 2021, Bangalter has scored several projects, including a French ballet and a comedy film inspired by Salvador Dalí.

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl adds a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Nov. 1), with 194,000 equivalent album units earned (down 43%) in the United States in the week ending Oct. 23, according to Luminate.

The Life of a Showgirl is only the second album in 2025 to spend its first three weeks at No. 1, following Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, which spent its first eight weeks atop the list (of its total 12 at No. 1).

Elsewhere in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Tame Impala claims its third top five-charted album, as Deadbeat debuts at No. 4.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new, Nov. 1, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Oct. 28). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.

Of The Life of a Showgirl’s 194,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 156,000 (down 34%, equaling 200.68 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks — it ranks at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums for a third week), album sales comprise 38,000 (down 63% — it’s No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a third week) and TEA units comprise less than 1,000 (down 42%).

The chart-topping KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holds at No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200 (96,000 equivalent album units, down 8%) and Wallen’s I’m the Problem is stationary at No. 3 (83,000, up 5%).

Tame Impala’s first full-length studio album in five years, Deadbeat, debuts at No. 4 with 70,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, pure album sales comprise 37,000 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 33,000 (equaling 41.72 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it debuts at No. 7 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

Deadbeat is the third top five (and top 10) project for Tame Impala, following 2020’s The Show Rush (No. 3) and 2015’s Currents (No. 4).

The new album was preceded by a trio of charted songs: “End of Summer” (No. 20 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, No. 7 on Hot Dance/Pop Songs), “Loser” (No. 15 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs) and “Dracula” (No. 7 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, No. 19 on Alternative Airplay, No. 55 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100).

Deadbeat’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl variants and five deluxe CD boxed sets (containing a copy of CD and branded merch), alongside a standard CD, cassette and digital download album.

Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Man’s Best Friend is steady at No. 5 on the latest Billboard 200 (43,000 equivalent album units, down 5%) and Cardi B’s former leader AM I THE DRAMA? falls 4-6 (40,000, down 21%).

Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving is pushed down 6-7, though it gains 1% in its fourth week on the chart (and fourth week inside the top 10).

SZA’s former No. 1 SOS holds at No. 8 (31,000 equivalent album units, down 2%), Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time rises 10-9 (30,000, down 3%) and Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid dips 9-10 (nearly 30,000, down 7%).