Bounty Killer received a Lifetime Achievement Award Honor and Busta Rhymes received an Elite Icon Award at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards, which were presented on Aug. 28 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, N.Y. The third annual ceremony, hosted by comedian Majah Hype, aired on BET on Sept. 12.

A giant in the dancehall space, Bounty Killer has earned three entries on the Billboard Hot 100: 1997’s “Hip-Hopera” (No. 81, with The Fugees), 1998’s “Deadly Zone” (No. 79, with Mobb Deep and Rappin’ Noyd) and 2001’s “Hey Baby” (No. 5, with No Doubt). The Kingston-bred artist’s lifetime achievement honor arrived nearly two months after he headlined Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for his first U.S. performance in 15 years.

Busta Rhymes, who recently received the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, has spent his career supporting Caribbean talent as one of hip-hop’s most visible Jamaican-Americans. The Billboard 200 chart-topper has collaborated with the likes of Vybz Kartel, Spice, Sean Paul, Skillibeng, YG Marley, Ding Dong and Popeye Caution.

Shenseea and Masicka entered the night as the most nominated artists (seven apiece), and both took home several trophies. Shenseea nearly swept the ceremony with five wins, including dancehall album of the year for Never Gets Late Here, which also earned the pop-dancehall princess her first solo Grammy nomination earlier this year. Masicka, who took home three awards with Shenseea thanks to their smash “Hit & Run” single, won a fourth trophy for reggae song of the year thanks to his featured turn on Romain Virgo’s “Been There Before.” Several other artists scored multiple victories, including Kartel (three), Virgo (three), Di Genius (three), Patrice Roberts (two) and Kes (two).

Other winners in competitive categories included Lila Iké, Lady Lava, Buju Banton, and Armanii, who recently performed at Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Live (Sept. 6). Lady Lava took home the inaugural zess-steam artist of the year award, and Dexta Daps took home the first-ever Caribbean R&B artist of the year honor.

The Caribbean Music Awards recognize artists, producers, and industry professionals who have significantly contributed to the Caribbean music landscape. This year’s nominations list included more than 40 categories spanning a diverse range of genres, including reggae, soca and dancehall.

The awards are presented by the Caribbean Elite Group, which also produces Caribbean Elite Magazine – a print and digital publication which highlights Caribbean entertainers, artists, producers, promoters, cuisine, travel, fashion and entrepreneurs.

Here’s a complete list of winners in both competitive (fan-voted) and honorary categories.

Competitive Categories

2025 Impact Award (Dancehall): Armanii

2025 Impact Award (Reggae): YG Marley

2025 Impact Award (Soca): Yung Bredda

Album of the Year (Reggae): Romain Virgo, The Gentle Man

Album of the Year (Dancehall): Shenseea, Never Gets Late Here

Artist of the Year (Bouyon): Mr. Ridge

Artist of the Year (French Caribbean): Joé Dwèt Filé

Artist of the Year (Latin Caribbean): Bad Bunny

Artist/Band of the Year (Konpa): Rutshelle Guillaume

Caribbean R&B Artist of the Year: Dexta Daps

Caribbean Fusion Artist of the Year: Naïka

Zess-Steam Artist of the Year: Lady Lava

Artist of the Year — Female (Dancehall): Shenseea

Artist of the Year — Female (Reggae): Lila Iké

Artist of the Year — Female (Soca): Patrice Roberts

Artist of the Year — Male (Dancehall): Vybz Kartel

Artist of the Year — Male (Reggae): Romain Virgo

Artist of the Year — Male (Soca): Kes

Best New Artist (Dancehall): Malie Donn

Best New Artist (Reggae): Sevana

Best New Artist (Soca): Blaka Dan

Collaboration of the Year (Soca): Trilla G, Lil Boy & Quan, “Someone Else”

Collaboration of the Year (Reggae): Bugle, Buju Banton & Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, “Thank You Lord”

Collaboration of the Year (Dancehall): Shenseea, Masicka & Di Genius, “Hit & Run”

Cruise Event of the Year: UberSoca

Music Event of the Year: Vybz Kartel’s Freedom Street

Male International DJ of the Year: DJ Private Ryan

Female International DJ of the Year: DJ Ana

People’s Choice: Vybz Kartel

Performer of the Year (Dancehall): Spice

Performer of the Year (Soca): Kes

Song of the Year (Dancehall): Shenseea, Masicka & Di Genius, “Hit & Run”

Song of the Year (Soca): Mical Teja, “DNA”

Song of the Year (Reggae): Romain Virgo feat. Masicka, “Been There Before”

Video of the Year (Reggae/Dancehall): Shenseea, Masicka & Di Genius, “Hit & Run”

Video of the Year (Soca): Patrice Roberts, “Anxiety”

Honorary Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award: Bounty Killer

Elite Icon Award: Busta Rhymes

Legacy Award: Carimi

Humanitarian Award: Sizzla

Producer Award Honor: Kerwin Du Bois

Gospel Award Honor: Shirley Ann Cyril-Mayers

Calypso Award Honor: Austin “Super Blue” Lyons

Sphere Entertainment stock rose 19.3% to $58.33 this week, marking its fourth consecutive weekly gain and the largest improvement in that month-long run. Sphere shares have risen an astounding 46.3% in the last four weeks. The stock reached an all-time high of $58.71 on Friday (Sept. 12).

Sphere’s latest offering, a revamped The Wizard of Oz, has won over both audiences and Wall Street analysts. As Billboard noted on Wednesday (Sept. 10), numerous analysts have raised forecasts in the wake of a stellar debut and strong ticket sales. The $2.3 billion venue requires a high level of utilization to be profitable, meaning Sphere must squeeze in film showings when it’s not hosting sold-out concerts by the likes of Backstreet Boys and The Eagles. Early results suggest the revamped The Wizard of Oz, which cost upwards of $100 million, is performing better than Sphere’s two previous films, Postcards from Earth and V-U2. 

The 19-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) rose 1.0% to 3,061.29, putting its year-to-date gain at 44.1%. The majority of music stocks ended the week in positive territory, mirroring gains elsewhere in the market as investors lifted stocks ahead of an expected interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve. 

The week’s biggest gainer was music streamer LiveOne, which jumped 29.5% to $0.57. On Thursday (Sept. 11), LiveOne raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $4.5 million to $6 million on revenue of $55 million to $60 million. On Friday, the company announced that its Bitcoin holdings exceed $5 million. 

Radio broadcaster and podcast company iHeartMedia rose 23.3% to finish the week at $2.59. iHeartMedia shares rose 9.2% on Friday after the company announced an expanded partnership and new long-term agreement with Bell Media in Canada. iHeartRadio Canada is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Bell Media, giving the American company distribution of its radio stations and podcast content in the neighbor to the north. 

Live Nation shares rose 6.3% to $173.73 on Friday after reaching a new all-time high of $175.25 earlier in the day. The spike followed Citi’s hike of its Live Nation price target to $195 from $165 on Tuesday (Sept. 9). Also this week, CFRA raised its Live Nation price target by $26 to $196, citing “the outsized opportunity for live entertainment around the globe” and the company’s efforts to build arenas and theaters to capture market share. 

Universal Music Group (UMG) rose 1.2% to 24.59 euros ($28.86). This week, Citi upgraded UMG to “buy” from “neutral” and increased its price target to 29 euros ($34.03) from 27 euros ($31.68).

Warner Music Group shares gained 2.8% to $33.62, lifting the stock’s year-to-date gain to 8.4%. On Wednesday (Sept. 10), Tigress raised its price target to $45 from $44 due to subscriber growth and the company’s margin expansion. 

Spotify, the BMGI’s largest single component with a market capitalization of $142.6 billion, fell 1.5% to $696.40. Spotify shares are up 49.2% this year but have fallen 12.7% since reaching an all-time high of $785.00 on June 27. This week, the company announced the launch of its long-awaited high-quality audio streaming offering. 

Many markets and indexes gained this week as investors awaited a decision by the Federal Reserve and companies continued to announce positive news. Amidst rising inflation and falling consumer sentiment, companies ranging from Six Flags Entertainment to Adobe nonetheless gained on encouraging results. 

In the U.S., the Nasdaq composite index rose 2.0% to a record closing of 22,141.10, and the S&P 500 climbed 1.7% to 6,584.29. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 improved 0.8% to 9,283.29. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index jumped 5.9% to 3,395.54, and China’s Shanghai Composite Index improved 1.5% to 3,870.60. 

Los Angeles was the epicenter of K-pop’s next evolution this week as Galaxy Corporation hosted its first-ever auditions for a virtual K-pop group at the El Rey Theatre.

From aespa’s “ae” avatars to motion-captured virtual group PLAVE to the current chart-topping success of HUNTR/X and Saja Boys of KPop Demon Hunters, virtual idols and the mix of technology and music is nothing new, but Galaxy Corporation’s auditions on Monday (Sept. 8) seemed to fall at the perfect time. The company describes itself as “enter tech” — converging IP, media and technology — and they’re betting big on a future where human performers power a virtual group that can perform and interact with fans in real time, marking another step forward in the music industry’s ongoing experimentation with digital idols. They currently have a small-but-quickly-growing roster of clients, from G-Dragon, Song Kang-ho (Parasite) and Kim Jong-kook, and also produced the Netflix breakout reality competition Physical: 100, which has gone on to have several spin-offs.

While most K-pop auditions have strict age ranges, a specified gender or other barriers to entry, Galaxy Corporation’s audition was searching for anyone with talent, regardless of genre, nationality or age. With this global search, they are “looking for creativity, emotional honesty, and the ability to connect with an audience” rather than visuals, as the group’s members will have digital avatars via motion capture, GK (Gyuhyuk Song), head of IP Music at Galaxy Corporation and senior lead for this project, tells Billboard. Some aspects of this project are based on the traditional idol group model: “Traditional idol training will remain at the core, but we’re also integrating new elements like digital performance and fan interaction in virtual spaces, to prepare artists who can move seamlessly between physical and virtual worlds.” And as intended, candidates who came in person were aged between early teens to adults. One father flew in with his auditioning daughter from the East Coast with dreams of participating in this project.

“Can an artist truly exist forever?” is a question that stuck with GK during his 12 years at SM Entertainment before joining Galaxy Corporation, noting that “groups struggle to surpass the seven-year standard contract period.” Of course, there are many exceptions these days with the global scale of K-pop and the way fans are more connected to their favorite artists than ever, but with this new project, the goal is to create “eternal artists.”

The concept of virtual artists isn’t entirely new — Gorillaz were an early pioneer the idea in the early 2000s — but what sets these newer groups apart is how their avatars are presented as fully realized individuals, with the real identities behind the characters often kept deliberately hidden.

Galaxy Corporation reinforced this approach for their auditions as well. Inside the El Rey, Galaxy Corporation prepared a holding area upstairs in the theater’s balcony and escorted candidates to the main stage while covered by large umbrellas to maintain anonymity throughout the process, aside from first name and age. A large screen was set up on the stage for the judging panel — which included GK, along with two other Galaxy Corporation representatives. Behind the screen, candidates had a mark on the floor for positioning and had a separate screen to see their motion-captured selves as one of two pre-designed avatars.

There’s an existing culture of virtual artists, and with technology and AI advancing at a rapid rate, Galaxy Corporation emphasizes the importance of authenticity when it comes to building fandom. Fandom is already the core driver of so many artists’ success, and ways to integrate the fans into this new project is also top of mind.

“We believe fandom will become even more interactive and participatory,” GK says. “Fans will not only support, but also shape creative direction through AI-driven platforms. This could lead to a new culture where the line between creator and fan blurs, fostering communities that feel deeply personal and globally connected.”

Additional audition rounds are expected to be held in other cities later this year, with Galaxy targeting a debut that positions the group as a truly global act.