The legal battle between dance music giant Insomniac Events and a trio of Miami club operators is heating up with a new countersuit that accuses Insomniac and its CEO Pasquale Rotella of “predatory tactics and greed.”

The dispute stems from a soured partnership between Insomniac, the global dance music events company partly owned by Live Nation, and Miami club and festival operators David Sinopoli, Davide L. Danese and Jose Gabriel Coloma Cano, who are best known for operating the city’s famed Club Space venue and their work on the city’s III Points festival.

Insomniac brought a lawsuit last month against Sinopoli, Danese and Coloma Cano (referred to as “CDD” in legal papers), claiming the group tried to “bully” its way into more control over upstart Miami club Factory Town. But in counterclaims filed Wednesday (Sept. 24), CDD says it’s actually Insomniac and Rotella who brought down their partnership with bad faith business practices. The countersuit is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

“Insomniac and Rotella’s deceit in the Factory Town partnership and their failure to abide by the settlement agreement are unfortunately only the latest instances of Insomniac and Rotella’s unscrupulous business dealings and conduct,” reads the countersuit. “Rotella and Insomniac are well-known in the electronic music industry for their greed and mistreatment of business partners, colleagues and employees alike.” 

The countersuit cites social media comments critiquing Insomniac, as well as a 2012 criminal indictment that charged Rotella with bribing an event manager at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The charges were later dismissed, with Rotella pleading no contest to a misdemeanor conflict of interest and getting probation.

“Rotella is not just a criminal and a fraud. He is also insufferable to work with,” write CDD’s lawyers. “The CDD parties have had the misfortune of witnessing and experiencing first-hand Rotella’s cruelty, self-centeredness and volatility towards his business partners and/or employees.”

Reached for comment on these new counterclaims on Wednesday, Insomniac’s attorney Jordan Shaw says he’s confident in their legal position and that CDD’s personal attacks are irrelevant.

“Their counterclaim is exactly what we expected, and the fact that they’re relying on social media posts and dropped charges from 20 years ago tells you everything you need to know about their current claims,” says Shaw.

Insomniac’s original lawsuit against CDD claims the promoters made “outrageous demands” last year for more money and control of Factory Town. But the countersuit tells a different story, saying Insomniac “methodically and unilaterally” stripped away CDD’s financial and ownership rights with the aim of leaving the promoters “trapped and forced to accept ever-worsening conditions.”  

According to CDD, the original Factory Town agreement promised them a 49% stake in the venue. But the counterclaim says “Insomniac’s and Rotella’s actual intent was to gain full control of the Factory Town venue, obtain a lease for the Factory Town property under only Insomniac’s name, and then unilaterally rewrite the deal under which the CDD Parties had performed and under which the CDD Parties exceeded all expectations, leaving the CDD Parties with all the work, all the risk, and a drastically reduced upside.”

The two sides went into mediation this summer and emerged with a settlement, under which Insomniac would buy out CDD for $3 million and assume control of Factory Town. The Insomniac lawsuit alleges the CDD parties have since breached this settlement agreement by interfering in its planning of Factory Town’s Hocus Pocus Halloween party and programming for Art Basel Miami in December.

The countersuit, however, claims Insomniac was actually required to collaborate with CDD on both Hocus Pocus and Art Basel under the settlement. CDD says Insomniac has breached the deal by booking talent without their approval and ignoring myriad emails from CDD, copies of which are included in the suit. 

In one example, CDD claims Insomniac made an offer to party brand CircoLoco “that represented a 44% increase from the prior year’s deal.” CDD objected to this offer, saying that it did “not reflect historical performance, venue capacity, or the reality of our shared structure.” The countersuit alleges that subsequent emails about the details of this deal were ignored by Insomniac.

CDD’s lead attorney, Bruce Weil, said in a statement on Wednesday that his clients have “established themselves as respected and valuable members of Miami’s community through years of supporting local artists and boosting the local economy.”

“It is disappointing that Pasquale Rotella and Insomniac are manipulating the facts by accusing CDD of the exact misconduct they themselves have inflicted, while retaliating against Club Space by attempting to obstruct and undermine CDD’s ability to operate and manage it during a period of unprecedented success,” Weil added.

Insomniac lawyer Shaw, meanwhile, maintains that the language of the settlement agreement and orders from the dispute’s mediator, retired judge Michael A. Hanzman, support Insomniac’s reading of the agreement.

“The facts are the facts,” said Shaw. “The Judge Hanzman order attached to the complaints says what it says, and the defendants cannot escape those realities no matter how many Twitter posts they quote in their counterclaim.” 

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention.

This week: Gruesome headlines lead to rising streams for alt-pop hitmaker D4vd, while performers at the Charlie Kirk memorial service and songs featured in a much-anticipated Amazon Prime series finale see gains.

D4vd Streams More Than Double After Dead Body in Car Identified

Following a quick rise and a handful of viral hits, D4vd has been featured in disturbing headlines in recent weeks following the discovery of a dead body in a car reportedly registered to the singer-songwriter. The human remains were uncovered inside an impounded Tesla on Sept. 8, and last Wednesday (Sept. 17), the body was identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 15-year-old girl who had previously been reported missing and, as Internet sleuths pointed out, had multiple connections to D4vd prior to her disappearance. Although no charges have been brought against the 20-year-old singer, D4vd canceled multiple tour dates without explanation in the following days.

Following the reports, D4vd’s overall streams have experienced significant gains — including the viral hit that helped deliver him to the mainstream. From Sept. 18-22, D4vd’s catalog earned 30.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams, more than double the total from the previous five-day tracking period (13.8 million streams from Sept. 12-16), according to Luminate. Within that total, “Romantic Homicide,” which reached No. 33 on the Hot 100 after going viral in 2022, was among the greatest gainers. From Sept. 12-15, the track earned 2.9 million streams; one week later, that total was 9.4 million (up 224%). “Romantic Homicide” and other D4vd tracks have popped up on the Spotify daily top 50 chart as this tragic story has developed. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Contemporary Worship Performers at Charlie Kirk Memorial Service See Catalog Gains

On Sunday (Sept. 21), a memorial service for the assassinated conservative media figure and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az. — with over 90,000 in attendance, and speakers who included both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, as well as Kirk’s widow Erika. As Kirk had been outspoken in his Christian faith, contemporary Christian music featured prominently in the proceedings — including performances from some of the biggest names in contemporary worship music, paying tribute to Kirk.

Several of those performers experienced notable catalog gains following their performances. Brandon Lake, perhaps currently the biggest name in contemporary Christian music following his crossover breakthrough this year with the Hot 100 top 40 hit “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” collected over 4.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams on Monday (Sept. 22), the day after the service, according to Luminate. That was up 29% from the 3.4 million he drew the Monday before, and included a 76% gain for “Gratitude,” the 2020 song he performed at the ceremony, to 909,000 streams.

Similar catalog gains were posted by service performers Cody Carnes (up 7% to 717,000), Kari Jobe (up 27% to 296,000) and Chris Tomlin (up 30% to just over 2 million) on that Monday — while Lee Greenwood’s perennial “God Bless the U.S.A.” was up nearly 13% to 59,000 streams. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Yes, Cardi B Is the ‘Drama’! New Album Spurs Streaming Gains for Rapper’s Debut LP & Sampled Tracks 

After seven years, Cardi B’s long-awaited sophomore album Am I the Drama?,is finally here — and it’s already having quite the impact on streaming. Released on Sept. 19, Drama has earned 78.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first three days of release, according to Luminate. Of that three-day total, the album pulled 35.8 million streams on Sept. 19, 25.4 million on Sept. 20 and another 17 million streams on Sept. 21. The new album also spurred notable gains for the Bronx MC’s Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy. That set earned 4.15 million official on-demand U.S. streams during Drama’s release weekend (Sept. 19-21), marking a 31% increase from the 3.17 million streams it collected the previous weekend (Sept. 12-14). 

Drama is filled with nifty samples, but two particular flips have boosted their original tracks: On the Lizzo-assisted “What’s Going On,” Cardi sources 4 Non Blonde’s “What’s Up,” helped the 1993 track pull over 981,00 official on-demand U.S. streams during Drama’s release weekend (Sept. 19-21). That marks a 7% lift from the 914,000 streams the track earned the previous weekend (Sept. 12-14). Placed near the end of the album, “Principal” calls upon Janet Jackson’s “The Pleasure Principle,” which reaped 52,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during Drama’s release weekend (Sept. 19-21), marking a 30% leap from the 40,2000 streams it pulled the previous weekend (Sept. 12-14). — KYLE DENIS 

Fans Turn to DSPs to Say Goodbye to ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’

Over three seasons, Amazon Prime’s romantic coming-of-age drama series The Summer I Turned Pretty proved itself not only one of the biggest shows of the decade, but one of the most prominent users of music synchs in recent TV history — with synch-tracking website Tunefind listing 104 songs used in its third season alone. That third and final season came to an end last Wednesday (Sept. 17) with 11 synchs used the season finale — all of which of course saw major bumps on streaming following their usage.

With much of the finale taking place in Paris, multiple French songs were used in the episode, with the biggest gains going to Belgian artist Angele’s “Ta Reine” — which was up a whopping 1,130% in official on-demand U.S. streams (to 130,000) over the five days following the episode premiere (Sept. 18-22) compared to the five-day period before (Sept. 12-16), according to Luminate. More in the show’s typical musical wheelhouse were synchs from Noah Kahan (“Everwhere, Everything,” also featuring Gracie Abrams) and Phoebe Bridgers (“Scott Street”), with the songs rising 45% and 79% to 1.9 million and 1.5 million streams over the same period, respectively.

But of course, the biggest bumps overall were reserved for the artist who’s served as the show’s musical north star for essentially its entire run: Taylor Swift. The Taylor’s Version of 1989 fan favorite “Out of the Woods” was used during a climactic Paris scene in the episode, and saw a 184% gain to 961,000 streams over that five-day period after. And even more impressively, Swift’s Reputation highlight “Dress” saw gains of 666% after being used in a dramatic finale makeout scene, rising to 436,000 to 3.4 total million streams over the same period.

And in case your hearts and/or Spotify playlists are hurting following the show’s series finale, fret not: it was announced during the finale’s red carpet celebration that The Summer I Turned Pretty would be returning for a franchise-concluding feature-length film, at a date to be determined. – AU

The ladies of aespa made their debut on The Jennifer Hudson Show Wednesday (Sept. 24), and blew J. Hud and her audience away with a performance of single “Rich Man” before explaining how Cher inspired the empowering track.

Looking polished and powerful on stage, members Ningning, Winter, Karina and Giselle were joined by a fleet of backup dancers on Hudson’s stage. As the foursome sang and danced, the camera repeatedly cut to the audience, where everyone was up out of their seats and dancing — including the EGOT winner, who also sang along while looking amazed by the group’s talent.

“Now, that performance was amazing!” Hudson said as the ladies took their seats for their interview after the performance, lovingly telling the overexcited audience, “Calm down!”

The Dreamgirls star went on to ask aespa about what inspired the track, leading Giselle to reveal that a certain pop icon was the muse. “‘Rich Man’ actually has a quote from Cher herself, which says, ‘My mom said to me, “Marry a rich man.” I said, “I am a rich man.”‘ The song was inspired by her quote.”

The ladies then played a game of Most Likely To, which ended up revealing that Giselle and Ningning are most likely to forget lyrics and choreography on stage, while Winter would be the first in the group to go bungee jumping, and Karina and Ningning are the biggest pranksters.

The Jennifer Hudson Show appearance comes just a few weeks after aespa released its Rich Man mini album, which debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200. Earlier this year, Billboard named the band group of the year for Women in Music 2025.

Watch aespa’s performance of “Rich Man” above, and check out their conversation with Hudson below.

An independent study commissioned by SGAE, the Spanish PRO, says that by 2028, generative AI could reduce the revenue that goes to creators in Spain by about 28%, or more than 100 million euros. The report, “The Economic and Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Musical Creation and Its Effects on Other Cultural Fields,” used qualitative analysis to estimate that cost, in the absence of regulation that would protect creators and rightsholders, which it recommends instituting.

“Clear legislation is urgently needed to guarantee fair compensation for rights holders, traceability of the origin of the data used by AI for training, and explicit consent for the use of works,” the report says.  “Limits should be set on AI-generated music to preserve the diversity and viability of emerging authors and ensure fair compensation.” 

Conducted by Know Media, with support from University Carlos III in Madrid, the study represents the first significant research on this issue in Spain. It includes a survey of more than 1,200 music creators, of all styles and income levels. As in other countries, the study found that music creators have been quick to incorporate AI tools in their creation of music: 34% have already done so, and another 17% plan to do so soon. At least some of this adoption comes from a fear of being left behind, however. 

The study highlights the difference between “assistive AI,” which creators use for help in their process, and “generative AI,” which creates music without human involvement. Already, music created by generative AI is finding an audience on streaming services, taking revenue away from human creators. 

So far, other studies commissioned by collective management organizations have reached similar conclusions. Studies funded by CISAC (the trade organization), GEMA and SACEM (the German and French collective management organizations, respectively), and APRA AMCOS (the Australian CMO) have all found that while AI represents an opportunity, it also represents a potential threat. This is not far off: The SGAE study says that between 160 million Euros and 180 million euros are at risk between now and 2028. 

Unlike previous innovations that shaped music, “artificial Intelligence challenges the creation process itself,” said CISAC director general Gadi Oron in a foreword to the study. “The challenges it poses to the creative sector are, therefore, different and unprecedented, while the questions it raises for policymakers are unique and difficult.” 

Regulation can prevent the worst of these effects, the study suggests. “The demand for clear and effective regulation to safeguard creators’ rights is unanimous,” the report concludes. “Authors are calling on collective management societies and public authorities to establish mechanisms to protect human creation from AI’s disruptive effects.”

Taylor Swift is right on target with her latest The Life of a Showgirl vinyl variant.

On Wednesday (Sept. 24), the pop star announced on Instagram that Target will be carrying a store-exclusive version of her upcoming album. Dubbed The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd Is Your King, the limited pressings will feature a “summertime spritz pink shimmer” disc along with a collectible sleeve, a “giant” double-sided poster, an exclusive poem penned by Swift and special photos, according to the description.

“A showgirl knows to save some of her best tricks for the grand finale…,” Swift wrote in her post, sharing photos of the Target edition. “PS: we’re [nine] days away(!!!!!!!!!!!!)”

Available for purchase at $34.99, the Target exclusive will also feature its own custom cover art. The gold-toned image finds the artist looking down at the camera while draped in sparkly lingerie and feathers.

The news follows a series of other Showgirl vinyls released by Swift, as well as a batch of Target-only Showgirl CDs containing exclusive double-sided posters. Featuring exclusive artwork, photographs and poetry, each vinyl variant became available for just 48 hours on the 14-time Grammy winner’s website.

In a recent Instagram video from Taylor Nation, Swift’s official fan site, the musician explained why she wanted Showgirl to be available in so many different forms. “The photoshoot we did with Mert and Marcus was so extraordinary, and I was so happy with it, that I just wanted fans to have as many images from this world, this album era, as possible,” she said. “I really spent a lot of time figuring out how I could make the best vinyl product, the best packaging, the best CD experience that they could have … I hope the fans are happy.”

Arriving Oct. 3, The Life of a Showgirl will mark Swift’s first album since her 2024 17-week Billboard 200 chart-topper The Tortured Poets Department. The singer first announced the new LP on fiancé Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, where she revealed that she’d made all 12 songs on the project with Max Martin and Shellback during her global Eras Tour.

“I was so mentally stimulated and excited to be creating,” she said at the time. “[The album is] a lot more upbeat, and it’s a lot more fun pop excitement. My main goals were melodies that were so infectious, you’re almost angry at it.”

“We’ve made songs that I’m so proud of,” she added at the time. “We’ve never actually made an album before where it was just the three of us, there’s no other collaborators. It felt like catching lightning in a bottle. These guys, they’re just geniuses. Working with them again was absolutely incredible.”

Check out Target’s exclusive The Life of a Showgirl version below.