Jeremy Furze was named as manager of the year at the 2024 AAM Awards in Sydney on Wednesday, May 1, recognition for his behind-the-scenes work guiding the Teskey Brothers’ stellar year.

Furze collected the top honor at the third annual AAM Awards, following a stretch during which the Teskeys could do no wrong.

The Teskeys, Josh and Sam, hail from Warrandyte, Victoria, and had the touring world at their feet, selling 15,000 tickets in London, 12,000 tickets in Amsterdam, and 6,000 tickets in Los Angeles; their third studio album The Winding Way opened at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart; and the band won ARIA and Rolling Stone Awards. Just hours after the AAM Awards wrapped, another piece of silverware for the Teskeys, as they nabbed songwriters of the year at the 2024 APRA Music Awards.

Furze, founder of Applejack Music, is “an engaged member of the artist management community, recognizing the importance of mentorship and shared knowledge,” reads a statement from the Association of Artist Managers, the trade body that produces the annual awards. “He has mentored under the Co-Pilot program for the past two years and frequently opens his door to independent artists and managers for informal support and career consultation.”

As festivals fall over, venues close and Australian artists struggle to impact the national sales charts, Furze told his peers from the stage, “We’re in a pretty deep crisis. It’s going to be up to all the people around this room to keep us on track in the next few years, and we need support ourselves…we’ve got to do it for each other.”

Other winners at the AAM Awards included Megan Rasmussen and Harry White (Future Classic) for breakthrough manager of the year; Kerry Kennell, chief of Kennell & Co, for community engagement award; Our Golden Friend’s Lorrae McKenna for the patron’s gift – an initiative of the late Michael McMartin; and Hayley-Jane Ayres, 360 Artist Logistics, who was the recipient of the APRA AMCOS Lighthouse Award, which includes a A$5,000 cash prize to support her business and professional pursuits.

As previously announced, Tame Impala manager Jodie Regan, founder of Spinning Top Music, scooped the Legacy Award. Presenting the award, Damien Trotter, managing director of Sony Music Publishing Australia, remarked that Regan, who is based in the remote Western Australia capital, Perth, led with “loyalty, trust and integrity,” and got about her work “without a hint of arrogance.”

AAM executive director Maggie Collins delivered the quote of the day when she told the house that AI “will never replace artist managers, because even robots wouldn’t want to do our job.” Collins also unveiled a touring initiative, “Michael’s Rule,” named after McMartin, that the management community hopes will give homegrown artists a much-needed lift.

Guest speakers at a packed Sydney Crowbar included John Graham special minister of state, minister for roads, minister for arts minister for music and the night-time economy, and minister for jobs and tourism; and performers included Folk Bitch Trio and Miss Kaninna.

The AAM represents over 300 active managers, who in turn represent over 1,000 artists in contemporary music.

2024 AAM Awards winners:

Manager of the Year (Presented by Oztix)
Jeremy Furze, Applejack Music

Breakthrough Manager of the Year (Presented by DMT Law Firm)
Megan Rasmussen and Harry White, Future Classic

Community Engagement Award (Presented by Live Event Logistics)
Kerry Kennell, Kennell & Co

Legacy Award (Presented by Sony Music Publishing)
Jodie Regan, Spinning Top Music

Patron’s Gift (Presented by AAM Patrons)
Lorrae McKenna, Our Golden Friend

APRA/AMCOS Lighthouse Award
Hayley-Jane Ayres, 360 Artist Logistics

K-pop giant HYBE posted its lowest total revenue in two years as its recorded music segment sank to its lowest level in seven quarters, the South Korean company announced Thursday (May 2). 

HYBE had first quarter revenue of 360.9 billion won ($271.5 million), down 12.1% year over year and the lowest since posting 285 billion won ($214.4 million) in the first quarter of 2022. Operating profit fell precipitously to 14.4 billion won ($10.8 million), down 72.6% from the prior-year period. 

HYBE’s share price was barely affected by the slowest quarter in years. The share price initially rose 1.7% to 205,500 won ($149.23) but my midday had fallen to 201,500 ($146.33), down 0.2%. The stock is down 13.7% year to date, however, and fell 12.6% last week following news that HYBE will report the CEO of its ADOR imprint, Min Hee-jin, to the police for “breach of trust and other related allegations.”

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), a measure of profitability that strips out non-cash items, was 39.8 billion won ($29.9 million), down 45% year over year and the lowest since the first quarter of 2021. 

Concerts revenue of 44 billion won ($33.1 million) was up 74.5% year over year. Although that was the biggest year-over-year increase of any category, the first quarter of 2023 was abnormally slow. HYBE’s latest quarter was on par with 45.3 billion won ($34.1 million) of concert revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, the first quarter the company had performances after COVID-19 restrictions shut down the touring industry. 

Recorded music, the company’s largest segment at 40.2% of total revenue, fell 21.3% to 145.1 billion won ($109.2 million). HYBE successfully debuted two new groups during the quarter. Sparkling Blue, the debut EP by PLEDIS Entertainment boy band TWS, sold 260,000 units in its first week for and accumulated 500,000 units in the first nine weeks of release. Girl group ILLIT’s EP, Super Real Me, released through BELIFT LAB, sold 380,000 units in its debut week and reached the 500,000-unit mark in just four weeks. The single “Magnetic” debuted at No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in April. 

Merchandising and licensing fell 11.9% to 60.7 billion won ($45.7 million). Contents fared worse, dropping 29.8% to 61.1 billion won ($46 million). 

Weverse, HYBE’s social media platform, saw its monthly active users (MAUs) decline for the second quarter. After reaching a peak of 10.6 million MAUs in the third quarter of 2023, MAUs fell to 10.1 million in the fourth quarter and 9.2 million in the first quarter. Both average revenue per paying user and payment amount fell below levels reached in 2022 and 2023; HYBE does not provide specific numbers for either metric. 

Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have struck a new licensing agreement which will soon bring UMG’s catalog of millions of sound recordings and songs back to TikTok after three months off the platform. Though it is unclear exactly when all of UMG’s catalog will return to the app, a press release about the new license says it will return in “due course” and the two companies are “working expeditiously” to return the music.

UMG’s last license with TikTok expired at the end of January after negotiations soured between the two companies. UMG announced that its music would be pulled from the app starting Feb. 1 in a letter to its artists and songwriters, saying that TikTok refused to pay the “fair value” of music and that it had concerns about TikTok’s stance on AI and artist safety.

Eventually, over the course of February, millions of sound recordings and compositions in the UMG catalog were removed from TikTok, which has been known as perhaps the most effective artist promotion and marketing platform of the 2020s. This included the removal of superstars like Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Karol G and Post Malone. Its impact stretched even wider when UMG’s publishing interests were also removed from TikTok, which included many recordings released by other record companies.

According to a press release about their new deal, UMG and TikTok will now enter a “new era of strategic collaboration” and that the deal “improves remuneration for UMG’s and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI.”

The two companies will now collaborate to realize more monetization opportunities within TikTok’s ecommerce services, which the short-form video app has been leaning into in recent months, particularly with the launch of TikTok Shop. TikTok will also invest “significant resources into building artist-centric tools.” This will include integrating ticketing capabilities and better data and analytics.

To address UMG’s concerns about AI and artist safety, the press release says the app will strengthen safety for artists and fans and that the two companies will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform. Since the anonymous TikTok user Ghostwriter used the platform to release his song “Heart On My Sleeve” last year, which featured the AI voices of Drake and the Weeknd, TikTok has been a destination for AI voice parody songs, including one particularly popular original sound that paired an AI Lana Del Rey’s voice with Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine.”

TikTok will also “improve artist and songwriter attribution” as part of the deal, which will ultimately help UMG’s talent get paid for uses on the platform.

Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group, says of the deal: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community. We look forward to collaborating with the team at TikTok to further the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing social music monetization.”

Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, adds: “Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group. We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG’s amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”

Ole Obermann, TikTok’s Global Head of Music Business Development, says: “We are delighted to welcome UMG and UMPG back to TikTok. We look forward to working together to forge a path that creates deeper connections between artists, creators, and fans. In particular, we will work together to make sure that AI tools are developed responsibly to enable a new era of musical creativity and fan engagement while protecting human creativity”. 

Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer and EVP, Universal Music Group says:“ Developing transformational partnerships with important innovators is critical to UMG’s commitment to promoting an environment in which artists and songwriters prosper. We’re gratified to renew our relationship with TikTok predicated on significant advancements in commercial and marketing opportunities as well as protections provided to our industry-leading roster on their platform. With the constantly evolving ways that social interaction, fan engagement, music discovery and artistic ingenuity converge on TikTok, we see great potential in our collaboration going forward.”

Troye Sivan scooped song of the year at the 2024 APRA Music Awards, held Wednesday, May 1 at ICC Sydney.

The Australian pop artist nabbed the peer-voted category, the top honor at the APRAs, for “Rush,” co-written with Styalz Fuego, and lifted from Sivan’s third studio album Something to Give Each Other, which bowed at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart in October 2023.

Fuego was on hand to receive the ring-shaped award, the final presented on the night.

“As a creative when I work with an artist that I’m already a fan of, I think like ‘don’t f— this us.’ It’s always like, I imagine this song could ruin their career,” he remarked. “I’m so happy that with Troye we did something that people ended up loving.”

Sivan has been in sparkling form at awards ceremonies, dominating the 2023 ARIAs with four wins, and landing a Grammy nomination with “Rush” (best pop dance recording). Sivan (2017) and Fuego (2013) are both former recipients of the APRA breakthrough songwriter of the year category.

Meanwhile, blues act The Teskey Brothers snagged songwriter of the year, following the release of their ARIA No. 1 album The Winding Way, adding to a collection that includes ARIA Awards and a Rolling Stone Australia Award, won earlier this year for best record. The coveted prize is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.

Singer and songwriter Dean Lewis doubled up with APRAs for “How Do I Say Goodbye,” a tear-jerker that captures his shock after learning of his dad’s cancer diagnosis. “Goodbye” won for most performed Australian work and most performed pop work, lifting his all-time APRAs tally to six. During his taped acceptance speeches, Lewis gave a shoutout to the “great Mike Taylor,” the former chief of Island Records Australia who died in January following a battle with cancer, aged 54. “Goodbye” was the last song they worked on together, Lewis explained.

Other winners at the APRAs included grentperez, the inaugural recipient of the emerging songwriter of the year award; Parkway Drive for the inaugural most performed hard rock/heavy metal work category; ONEFOUR for most performed hip hop / rap work; Sia, landing most performed Australian work overseas for the fifth time; and Taylor Swift for international work of the year.

One of the highlights of the night was the presentation of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music to Bart Willoughby, singer, songwriter and drummer with pioneering Indigenous rock band No Fixed Address. Long-time friends Stephen Pigram and Don Walker of Cold Chisel did the honors.

The 2024 edition of the APRAs “was a memorable night where we honored several first-time winners as well as established national treasures, including the extraordinary Bart Willoughby,” comments APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.

“In recognizing the incredible talent in Australia’s music landscape, it’s important to acknowledge that as an organisation that champions gender diversity through advocacy, funding and creative opportunities, there’s more to do to address the disparity in the industry of male to women, non-binary and gender diverse award winners.” He continues, “We must continually question the absence of diversity in every facet of the industry—whether in rooms, executive offices, on stages, or across airwaves and streaming platforms—and commit to amplifying the entirety of Australia’s musical brilliance.”

Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.

Full list of 2024 APRA Music Awards winners:

Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Title:               Rush
Artist:              Troye Sivan
Writers:           Troye Sivan / Styalz Fuego* / Alex Chapman^ / Kevin Hickey^ /
                        Brett McLaughlin~ / Adam Novodor~
Publishers:      Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Universal Music Publishing* /
                        Kobalt Music Publishing^ / Sony Music Publishing~

Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music
Bart Willoughby

Songwriter of the Year 
The Teskey Brothers
Writers:           Josh Teskey / Sam Teskey
Publishers:      Mushroom Music obo Ivy League Music      

Emerging Songwriter of the Year
Writer:            grentperez
Publisher:        Mushroom Music

Most Performed Australian Work 
Title:               How Do I Say Goodbye
Artist:              Dean Lewis
Writers:           Dean Lewis / Jon Hume*
Publishers:      Kobalt Music Publishing / Concord ANZ*

Most Performed Alternative Work
Title:               Daylight
Artist:               Birds of Tokyo
Writers:            Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston
Publisher:        Mushroom Music

Most Performed Blues & Roots Work 
Title:               Dancing in the Dark
Artist:               Ziggy Alberts
Writer:              Ziggy Alberts
Publisher:        Kobalt Music Publishing

Most Performed Country Work 
Title:               Summer Nights
Artist:               Casey Barnes
Writers:            Casey Barnes / Michael De Lorenzis / Michael Paynter
Publisher:        Mushroom Music

Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work 
Title: Never Let You Go
Artist:               Jason Derulo & Shouse
Writers:            Jack Madin* / Edward Service* / Sean Congues / Jason Desrouleaux^
Publishers:      ONELOVE Publishing* / Sentric Music Publishing / 
                        Universal Music Publishing^

Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work 
Title:               Darker Still
Artist:               Parkway Drive
Writers:            Benjamin Gordon* / Luke Kilpatrick* / Jeffrey Ling* / Winston McCall* /
                        George Hadjichristou
Publisher:        Kobalt Music Publishing*

Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work
Title:               COMMA’S
Artist:               ONEFOUR ft. CG
Writers:            Spencer Magalogo* / Jerome Misa* / Salec Su’a* / Bailey Pickles /
                        Chandler Hammond / Hugo Hui / Caleb Tiedemann
Publisher:        Sony Music Publishing*

Most Performed Pop Work 
Title: How Do I Say Goodbye
Artist:               Dean Lewis
Writers:            Dean Lewis / Jon Hume*
Publishers:       Kobalt Music Publishing / Concord ANZ*

Most Performed R&B / Soul Work 
Title:               Cinderella
Artist:               JKING
Writer:             Jordan Samatua          

Most Performed Rock Work 
Title:               Good Time
Artist:               Polish Club
Writers:            David Novak / John-Henry Pajak / Robby De Sa
Publisher:        Sony Music Publishing

Most Performed Australian Work Overseas
Title:               Unstoppable
Artist:               Sia
Writer:              Sia Furler / Christopher Braide*
Publishers:       Sony Music Publishing / Concord ANZ* 

Licensee of the Year
Australian Calisthenic Federation Inc

Most Performed International Work 
Title:               Anti-Hero
Artist:               Taylor Swift
Writers:            Taylor Swift / Jack Antonoff*
Publishers:       Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Usher’s Lovers & Friends Festival lands at the Las Vegas Festival Ground on Saturday (May 4). If you missed the chance to secure tickets via the Lovers & Friends website, a select number of tickets are available at Vivid Seat and StubHub, but they’re selling out quickly.

Keep reading for more information on the festival including ticket prices, and where to find the cheapest tickets online.

Lovers & Friends: How Much Do Tickets Cost?

Lovers & Friends tickets are split into three tiers: general admission, GA+ and VIP. Prices ranged from $325 to $695 on the festival website. (Tickets are sold out.) 

Besides entry into the festival, general admission gets you access to food vendors, bars, concession stands, free water stations, festival merch and more.

GA+ tickets allow you to enter the festival through a dedicated lane at the main entrance. The ticket includes access to air-conditioned bathrooms, while VIP entry includes access to a “preferred viewing area” near the main stage and charging stations. 

Looking for cheap tickets to Lovers & Friends? Resale tickets are available on Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Geek, and if you grab them now, you’ll probably have a better chance of getting tickets for a decent price.

Tickets range from below $300 for general admission passes to more than $700 for VIP.

How to Get Lovers & Friends Tickets on Vivid Seats

Vivid Seats offers the lowest ticket prices for Lovers & Friends, compared to StubHub and Seat Geek. Right now, tickets start at $253 for general admission (though most tickets are priced around $400-$500). VIP passes cost over $600.

Want a discounts on your tickets? Use code BB2024 to save $20 off purchases of $200 or more.

How to Get Lovers & Friends Tickets on StubHub

In the race for cheapest tickets, StubHub takes second place against Vivid Seats and Seat Geek. Tickets start at approximately $293 for general admission and $524 for VIP.

Ticket are around the same price at Seat Geek — around $293 for the cheapest tickets available. General admission starts at $293, however, most of the Seat Geek tickets are priced between $300-$500. VIP passes are available for as low as $563 to more than $1,200.

The annual Lovers & Friends Fest launched in 2022 after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lineup includes Usher, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Brandy, Monica, Backstreet Boys, 6lack, Kelly Rowland, Craig David, Nas, Nelly Fortado, Ciara, TLC, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Nelly, T-Pain, Ne-Yo, SWV, Tank, Xscape, Mya, Kelis, Keri Hilson, Lupe Fiasco, Fat Joe, E-40, Too Short, Cam’ron, Next, Blaque and 702.

SPOILER ALERT: The following story reveals the identities of the eliminated contestants on Wednesday night’s (May 1) The Masked Singer.

Over the years, The Masked Singer has served up some fun and funky costumed duos, including Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black), Banana Split (Katharine McPhee and David Foster), Beach Ball (Honey Boo Boo and Mama June) and Hydra (Penn & Teller).

The tradition continued this season with The Beets, who made their smashing debut last month during The Wizard of Oz night when they teamed up for Michael Bublé’s “Home,” before singing The Pointer Sisters’ 1982 Billboard Hot 100 No. 30 hit “I’m So Excited.” The men’s voices melded together so perfectly that panelist Rita Ora gushed, “Beets just beat it up!”

The singers were back Wednesday night (May 1) for a performance they said was inspired by them becoming dads, with their touching take on “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston breaking the weep bank on Soundtrack of My Life night. The mix of their soulful vocals — one high and sweet, the other warm and rich — drew gasps from the judges and the audience as they hit each and every note with ease. 

The clues for the two did not help at all, with one dubbing himself “the ladies’ man” and the other “the tough guy,” though they did admit that they “couldn’t be more different” and that they never tried to outdo each other but rather teamed up “like a good girl group.”

The guesses were all over the place, from podcast and Arrested Development castmates Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, to K-Ci & JoJo and members of Boyz II Men, as well as country duo Dan + Shay, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Brooks & Dunn and another comedy duo, Scrubs co-stars Donald Faison and Zach Braff. Ken Jeong, as always, was way off the mark with his Josh Groban/Brian McKnight guess.

After joining in the Group B team’s run through Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and coming back to sing Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” during the Battle Royale against Gumball on Wednesday night, alas The Beets didn’t make it through the quarterfinals. And though the Internet figured out early on who they were, the judges were stymied about the identities of American Idol season 2 winner and runner-up, and best buds, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, both 45. In addition to staying friends, the dynamic duo have toured together several times over the years, including last year for Twenty The Tour, celebrating the two-decade anniversary of their Idol debut.

The night also saw the unmasking of Seal, who turned out to be 1980s child star and rocker Corey Feldman. But before that, Billboard spoke to Aiken and Studdard before their elimination to find out why their “adult vegetable” costumes were the most challenging ones ever on the show, how they’ve stayed so close over all these years and why Ruben was pissed to not come out on top again.

I’m sure you feel differently, but of all the nutty costumes on the show to date yours seemed kind of the easiest to move around in.

Studdard: Absolutely not! I felt so awkward and out of place in that costume because we literally could not see stuff. The only thing we could see was right in front of us. So trying to perform in those costumes was daunting.

Aiken: What? Oh my gosh I would say it’s the opposite! I want to claim a privilege here and say that Ruben and I — yes, a lot of people have more elaborate costumes and that’s what made the Beets more adorable in their simplicity — but if you look at it the Beet itself covers our whole bodies down to our knees, then our arms are completely inside the Beets, so we just have our wrists out, no arms or really any legs. If you watch, we’re only moving from the knee down. It was simple, but near impossible to move in. I think we had it the hardest, Ruben.

Talk to me about dedicating the Whitney Houston song to being dads, what an emotional moment.

Studdard: [laughs] I was just trying to remember all the words!

Aiken: And not fall off the stage!

Studdard: Anytime you get to reflect on the people that mean the most to you it’s special. Dedicating most of my performances to my kids now has been the joy of my existence. Anything I do on stage, whether people know it’s me or not, it’s for them.

Aiken: It was interesting because the theme was to pick a song that talks about our story or our life or career and that song meant nothing specifically to either of us, other than watching Whitney sing it in a stadium. But the lyrics obviously relate to our time on Idol and how that show changed our lives and it was interesting to do it on the same network where we started and on stage in front of a studio audience. So much about the Masked Singer has parallels to Idol — even though so much is completely opposite and different — but it was cool to re-live that 21 years after we lived it on Idol.

Whose idea was it to be on this show and was there something alluring to you about being disguised given how well-known your story is?

Studdard: I definitely was enthusiastic about being on the show. I don’t know if my initial want was to perform with my brother, but to get the opportunity to continue what we’ve been doing… we did our 10-year tour, we were actually out on the road while we were doing the Masked Singer, so it made all the sense in the world for us to get an opportunity to close out the 20-year reunion strong as the most disgusting condiment they put out.

Aiken: You’re telling me you don’t love beets Ruben? I love beets. That’s how old I am. No kid likes beets, but as we get older I have found that I enjoy beets now. That’s something that adults do, so it was appropriate that we were an adult vegetable.

Oh boy, I am not going to Google “adult vegetable!” Switching gears completely, you are both dads, did you watch the show with your kids before saying yes?

Studdard: I watched the show, but my son is three so he has no idea what it is and my daughter is a baby.

Aiken: We had both seen the show and I believe we had even talked to each other over the years as it’s been on the air how cool it would be to do it, but Ruben’s been busy and I had not been performing at all, so when Ruben got me back on stage for this tour I think the show saw that we were out doing something together. We’re not a duo that records together, so I think they say, “wait a minute, Ruben and Clay are on tour together, but people might not think of them as a duo, so that might be a way to trick the audience,” so it worked out perfectly for us.

Be honest now, what was scarier: singing on Idol as newcomers with no mask or trying to sing inside that costume?

Studdard: Singing on Idol for sure.

Aiken: The interesting thing about Idol for me was obviously it was scary every week because you’re worried you’re going to go home because there’s stakes involved and it’s your life and your career. On Masked Singer we didn’t have that concern at all. We came off tour to do it and went back on tour after it and we came on knowing we were going to have fun and goof off and enjoy ourselves. I never worried about falling off stage on Idol. I was definitely worried about it every time we performed on this show.

You placed one and two on Idol, so are you disappointed to leave Masked Singer after just a few performances?

Studdard: I was disappointed to leave… I want to win everything. I don’t care if it’s marbles or jumping jacks — and I know I can’t do that many — but I want to win.

Aiken: Ruben and I have a very different philosophy on it and I reminded Ruben that Masked Singer is not a singing competition. It’s a singing show, but it’s only marginally a competition because there are so many other factors to it. I was not bothered by losing and I know damn well that we sang the living s–t out of that Whitney Houston song! So I ain’t worried about us when it comes to that. I have lost things multiple times in the past, so I am much more used to it. Ruben has never lost anything before, so it was a little tougher on him [laughs].

After 20 years, why do you think your friendship has endured and continued to bring you together like this?

Aiken: Because I don’t mind losin’! And that’s with marbles and jacks and jumping jacks and everything. I lost to him on everything.

Studdard: [Laughs] Despite our obvious differences, we came up through a situation that inclined us to be closer to one another. American Idol was a lot different than it is now and we relied on each other a lot. We had to depend on each other to be timely, to be kind because we were living with one another. And not just for Clay and I, but I think the majority of our cast mates, we found a way to remain family over the 20 years since the show.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Welcoming a new season means making room for fresh gaming gear. If you’ve been waiting for a price cut on video games and consoles like PS5 Slim, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, they’re currently on sale at Walmart.

The retail giant has sales on top brands such as Xbox, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Crocs, Lego, Ninja, Shark, Bissell, Reebok, Ninja, Levi’s, Sony, Nintendo, Mainstays, Beautiful by Drew Barrymore, Acer, Epson, Meta Quest and more savings ahead of Mother’s Day.

Besides sales on big ticket electronics such as TVs, headphones and sound bars, shoppers can save up to 65% off apparel, shoes, beauty products, Mother’s Day gifts, spring and summer essentials such as patio furniture, grills, gardening tools, bedding, cookware and other items to give your home and wardrobe a seasonal refresh.

Keep reading for a few of the must-shop deals that we found on PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and gaming accessories at Walmart.

PlayStation 5 Disc Console Slim – Marvel Spider-Man 2 Bundle

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The PlayStation 5 bundle includes a PS5 Slim console and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game. Sony’s PS5 slim was released late November, but if you’re interested in the original, the PS5 is on sale for $440 at Walmart.

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Zone out for game time with the Microsoft Xbox Stereo Headset. The gaming headset is compatible with Xbox Series X, Series S, Xbox One and PCs. Features include spatial audio and up to 15 hours of battery life.

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Save $65 off the Nintendo Switch OLED console. Compared to its predecessor, the OLED model offers a larger screen — 7 inches — and slimmer bezel. The bundle includes a console and white JoyCon controllers.

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Xbox Series X Video Game Console, Black

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Shopping for an Xbox? The Series X, touted as Microsoft’s “most powerful console ever,” has exceptional graphics and more storage than a PS5.

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For more savings on must-have gadgets, be sure to check out our roundups on the best tech deals and best TV deals.

Slightly Stoopid and Cloud 9 Adventures announce details for the 10th edition of Closer to the Sun, their fan-favorite winter concert vacation.

The annual event returns to Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, an all-inclusive resort on the coast of Mexico, for four days and nights from Dec 11-15, 2024. Closer to the Sun is known for its close-knit community of loyal returning guests, its welcoming of first-time attendees, its participating artists and its tendency to quickly sold out.

The schedule features multiple shows by Slightly Stoopid with a stacked lineup including additional performances by Stick Figure, Sublime, Cypress Hill, Iration, Fortunate Youth, The Elovaters, Z-Trip, G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter, Eli-Mac, Tropidelic and Boostive to round out the trip.

Closer to the Sun takes place at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum where the event has a full takeover and hosts shows and event activities, just steps away from guest rooms. Recent upgrades include a new pool and multiple new restaurants with new offerings for returning guests. This year, Closer to Sun has been extended to an exclusive section of rooms at Barcelo Maya Beach, a second all-inclusive resort just a 10 minute ride away.

All-inclusive packages for returning Closer to the Sun guests can be reserved during the pre-sale on May 6. If rooms remain, the public onsale will begin on May 7, 2024 at 1 p.m. ET on the Closer to the Sun website. Pricing starts at $1999 per person for four night room packages with various upgraded options available including suites overlooking the main stage.

Vinyl releases from Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore, Pearl Jam and more were among the top-sellers from Record Store Day (RSD) 2024 in the United States, according to data tracking firm Luminate.

The annual independent record store celebration was held on April 20 this year and boasted a bevy of unique and limited-edition albums and singles (mostly vinyl pressings) created for the festivities. More than 350 titles were released for RSD 2024 at independent record stores across the United States.

Kahan does double-duty with both the top-selling RSD single and album, according to Luminate (see lists, below). The top-selling RSD-exclusive single was a joint effort from Kahan and Rodrigo: a two-song, 7-inch colored-vinyl. The single features Rodrigo’s cover of Kahan’s “Stick Season” and Kahan’s cover of Rodrigo’s “Lacy,” both recorded in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. The top-selling RSD-exclusive album was a blue-colored vinyl pressing of Kahan’s 2021 sophomore album I Was/I Am.

The Nos. 2 to 5-biggest selling RSD-exclusive albums were: Paramore’s This Is Why / Re: This Is Why (double vinyl set, bone and ruby red-colored vinyl), Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter (on yellow and black ghostly-colored vinyl), Paramore’s Re: This Is Why (on ruby red-colored vinyl) and Talking Heads’ Live at WCOZ 77 (double vinyl). (Paramore was also the RSD 2024 Ambassador, following in the footsteps of such recent previous RSD Ambassadors as Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires (2023), Taylor Swift (2022), Fred Armisen (2021), Brandi Carlile (2020) and Pearl Jam (2019).

While most RSD 2024 titles had a fairly limited pressing — under 5,000 each — a few titles this year earned larger production runs (such as I Was/I Am and the Kahan/Rodrigo single, which each had a run of more than 30,000).

Top-Selling Record Store Day 2024 Exclusive Albums at Independent Record Stores in the U.S.
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Noah Kahan, I Was/I Am (blue-colored vinyl)
2. Paramore, This Is Why / Re: This Is Why (Standard + Remix) (bone and ruby red-colored double vinyl)
3. Pearl Jam, Dark Matter (yellow and black ghostly-colored vinyl)
4. Paramore, Re: This Is Why (ruby red-colored vinyl)
5. Talking Heads, Live at WCOZ 77 (double vinyl)
6. The 1975, The 1975 Live at Gorilla (white-colored double vinyl)
7. The Weeknd, Live at SoFi Stadium (triple vinyl)
8. ATEEZ, The World EP.Fin: Will [X. Ver.] (clear or black-colored vinyl + 7-inch vinyl)
9. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (picture disc vinyl)
10. David Bowie, Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) (vinyl)
11. Wallows, Nothing Happens (5th Anniversary Edition) (aqua splatter and aqual with white splatter-colored double vinyl)
12. Young Thug, Jeffery (vinyl)
13. Team Sleep, Team Sleep (gold-colored double vinyl)
14. Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Fuckin’ Up (clear-colored double vinyl)
15. Ramones, The 1975 Sire Demos (vinyl)
16. Gorillaz, Cracker Island (Deluxe Vinyl Version) (pink and magenta-colored double vinyl)
17. The Replacements, Not Ready for Prime Time: Live at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago, IL, January 11, 1986 (double vinyl)
18. Grateful Dead, Nightfall of Diamonds (180 gram four vinyl LP set)
19. Soundtrack, Lost in Translation (Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Edition]) (double vinyl)
20. The Cure, The Top (picture disc vinyl)
21. Bill Evans, Everybody Digs Bill Evans (180 gram vinyl)
22. Lil Uzi Vert, Luv Is Rage (vinyl)
23. The Doors, Live at Konserthuset, Stockholm, September 20, 1968 (triple vinyl)
24. Various Artists, South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert (Towelie-Blue-colored triple vinyl)
25. John Lennon, Mind Games EP (140 gram glow-in-the-dark-colored vinyl)
Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 25, 2024

Top-Selling Record Store Day 2024 Exclusive Singles at Independent Record Stores in U.S.
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Olivia Rodrigo & Noah Kahan, Stick Season (Rodrigo) / Lacy (Kahan), Live from the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge (7-inch colored vinyl)
2. David Byrne & Paramore, Hard Times / Burning Down the House (12-inch vinyl)
3. U2, Atomic City (Live at Sphere, Las Vegas) / Atomic City (Mike WiLL Made-It Remix) (10-inch transparent red-colored vinyl)
4. 100 Gecs, Hey Big Man / Torture Me / Runaway (10-inch vinyl)
5. Daft Punk, Something About Us / Veridis Quo / Voyager (Dominique Torti’s Wild Style Edit) (12-inch vinyl)
6. The Beatles, She Loves You (3-inch vinyl)
7. G.B.I., The Regulator (7-inch vinyl)
8. Lil Peep, Star Shopping / Star Shopping (Live in London) / Star Shopping (Live in Belgium) (7-inch vinyl)
9. Holly Humberstone/MUNA, Into Your Room (with MUNA) (7-inch vinyl)
10. Chappell Roan, Pink Pony Club / Naked in Manhattan (7-inch baby pink-colored vinyl)
Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 25, 2024

Joshua Bassett is in a nostalgic mood.

The 23-year-old star took to Instagram on Wednesday (May 1) to share a snippet of his upcoming single, “Golden Years.” In the clip, he’s standing on the beach near the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, Calif., as he looks into the camera and sings: “In the blink of an eye/ We were young ’til we weren’t/ It was fun ’til it hurt/ Now I’m terrified/ That I’ll never find love like yours.”

He captioned the post with a cryptic eyes emoji, and linked the pre-save information in his Stories. While Bassett has yet to reveal the release date for the single or any plans for a full album, “Golden Years” follows his September 2023 single, “Just Love.”

See his post here.

Last year, Bassett bid farewell to East High as Disney+ released the fourth and final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. A bunch of OG Wildcats returned for the season, with Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed and Kaycee Stroh resurrecting their HSM roles as Chad Danforth, Taylor McKessie, Ryan Evans, Coach Bolton, Ms. Darbus and Martha Cox, respectively. In the fourth season, the group shoots a long-awaited High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie on location at their beloved high school. 

In the series, Bassett plays the lead role of Ricky Bowen.

It looks like Calvin Harris is getting ready to drop a potential song of the summer — and if fans are correct, it might feature Miley Cyrus.

The DJ shared a 50-second video on social media Wednesday (May 1) featuring a snippet of an unreleased beach-themed track with lead vocals by someone who sounds a lot like the “Flowers” singer. “We were dancing, we were wild in the ocean,” the mystery artist sings over gentle acoustic guitar, which later morphs into a bright EDM beat. “When the crowd is all around me, you’re still all I see.”

Fittingly, Harris paired the audio with a clip taken on a beach, the sun shining across a near-cloudless blue sky. He gave nothing away in his caption, simply adding three ocean-wave emojis.

Billboard has reached out to Harris’ reps for comment about the track’s singer, title and release date.

Though the “One Kiss” hitmaker didn’t confirm whose voice is featured on the song, fans are already pretty certain it’s the “Wrecking Ball” musician. “Um EXCUSE ME IS THIS MILEY?!!! MILEY CYRUS?!!!” one person commented on the post on Instagram, while someone else wrote, “Miley vocals go crazy!!”

Harris last released in album in 2022, with Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 2 debuting at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 that August. In 2023, Cyrus had the biggest hit of her career with “Flowers,” which spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the star her first two Grammys earlier this year. Assuming she’s locked in for a collaboration with Harris, she might just be headed for a repeat.

See Harris’ new song teaser — possibly featuring Miley Cyrus — below.

Conner Smith earned his first top 20 single when his swampy speedster, “Creek Will Rise,” worked its way to No. 12 on Country Airplay. Its torrid pace and pickup truck motif likely made more than a few listeners think of Garth Brooks’ “Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til the Sun Comes Up).”

But the follow-up — “Roulette on the Heart,” featuring a vocal assist from Hailey Whitters -— resembles a country classic from the other end of the energy spectrum, the Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss duet “Whiskey Lullaby.” Like that ballad, “Roulette” pairs a male and female solo artist in a Dobro-heavy piece built around a dark, fatalistic storyline. In “Whiskey,” the plot captures an alcohol-infused double suicide, fueled by broken hearts. Smith’s concoction, conveyed at a slightly faster tempo, leans on Russian roulette as a metaphor for risk in a relationship with a wild woman.

Smith didn’t have “Whiskey” in his mind when he created “Roulette” in early December 2022, but he sensed a significance about his work from the outset.

“When we wrote it, I knew the song was different,” he allows. “I knew the song was a next level for me. It felt like a song for me -— and it still does — that could last for a long time, in a way that I don’t think I’ve put out a song before. And so it mattered a lot.”

Smith had his then-girlfriend -— surfer Leah Thompson, whom he married on April 12 — in mind when he developed the “Roulette” title, which sprouted from the inherent danger in both single-bullet games of chance and extending love to another.

“When you’re in those [intense] relationships, the reality is you get married or you break up,” Smith explains. “You either find the person for the rest of your life or you shatter your heart when you fall in love with someone, and that game, in and of itself, is roulette.”

Smith brought the title up during a writing retreat at a Tennessee cabin owned by Thomas Rhett. He wrote two songs simultaneously, “Roulette” and the title track to his EP How It Looks From Here, shifting about every half hour from one writing room to the other. That is, it turns out, an ideal situation for him.

“I’ve been writing with him for a long time now,” says songwriter Mark Trussell (“Your Place,” “Good Time”). “What I’ve noticed is that he does kind of need to step out and step back in. It’s good for him creatively to take a break and come back. And then he comes back real fresh, and he can just pick up a guitar and spit out a whole verse. He’s really good at doing that.”

Trussell and co-writers Jessi Alexander (“Light on in the Kitchen,” “Chevrolet”) and Chase McGill (“5 Foot 9,” “Break Up in the End”) were all on board with “Roulette.” McGill developed a folky, foreshadowing guitar lick, and the group came up with a telling first line: “Picking you up’s like picking up a gun/ Your kiss is the trigger.” The story unfolded chronologically from there, each phrase underscoring the protagonist’s magnetic attraction to a romantic partner he knows could destroy him.

“This is definitely not your perfect, healthy relationship,” notes Alexander. “This is for the people that are playing with danger and mystery and a little bit of an unsettled relationship. And she’s a pistol.”

The chorus lifted the song’s energy, altering the cadence and the pace of chord changes to signal the arrival of the singalong section. “A lift doesn’t always have to be a melodic, high lift or a crash cymbal on the chorus,” Trussell says. “So in this chorus, the melody moves quicker and starts rolling a little bit more, and the chords slow down.”

Verse two focused on an intimate moment between them, mixing a half-dressed sexual inference with another “steel of a Colt” gun metaphor. Alexander had a leading role in that stanza’s tone. “I love provocative, I love edgy -— you know, shock value,” she says. “I’m the girl that put makeup sex in ‘Mine Would Be You,’ so I’m like, ‘Bring it on. Let’s do something kind of edgy.’ ”

The bridge spelled out the risk that the rest of the song implied. Again, they fashioned a subtle melody, using a variation on the last half of the chorus’ tune, maintaining continuity amid the lyrics’ tension. In the final chorus, Smith inserted an extra line — “Loving you, baby/ Is flipping off the safety” — continuing the firearms symbolism in a unique way.

“The action of that elicits an emotion of danger, and I think it’s cool because that is the game of love,” says Smith. The characters are “obviously taking it to a much deeper and darker place. Anytime you step into a relationship, you realize that you are flipping off the safety of your heart.”

Smith turned in a lead voice, and Alexander provided harmony for a demo that Trussell continued to work on after the session ended, using mostly acoustic instrumentation, including a resonator guitar.

Just days after writing it, Smith sang it during a WDAF Kansas City concert at PBR Big Sky on Dec. 7, 2022. A rowdy cowboy bar wasn’t the best venue for an unknown ballad — patrons mostly ignored it — but when Smith was done, fellow artist Whitters leaned over to compliment him on a “brash” song with an uncommon level of vulnerability.

“I thought it was cool hearing it from a guy,” she says. “Instantly, as a chick, I connected with it.” 

Smith’s team had high hopes for “Roulette” when he recorded it in February 2023, with producer Zach Crowell (Sam Hunt, Jelly Roll) booking a studio band at Nashville’s Sound Stage that seemed appropriate for a commercial country recording. The performance wasn’t over the top, but it was still too much; Smith and Crowell agreed they should lean on Trussell’s demo, so they repeatedly peeled back parts from the tracking session. Thus, Trussell plays numerous instruments amid the studio cats, and Alexander appears in some background vocal moments, though Whitters is the dominant female voice.

“This song was shockingly hard to do,” says Crowell. “It took a lot of different versions to get it to that [final] version.”

That’s also true of Whitters’ vocal. She hit the studio somewhere between two and five times — even she’s not certain how many sessions were involved. She sang the song in its entirety the first time around, but as the production morphed, they developed more specific ideas about how to use her voice. She was willing to keep coming back.

“I knew how special the song was to Conner,” she says. “I don’t think we knew at the time it was going to be a radio thing, but it meant a lot that he asked me to be on it, and I just wanted it to be right.”

In the final iteration, Whitters makes her first appearance singing harmony on the first chorus. She never sings as a solo lead until the final chorus, when her entry suggests that the female in the song is risking as much as the guy. “It definitely makes the payoff better if you kind of wait,” Crowell says. “It’s a little bit of a prize once you finally get the whole chorus from her.”

Valory released “Roulette on the Heart” to country radio via PlayMPE on April 8, providing some “Whiskey Lullaby”-like heft to Smith’s growing reputation.

“‘Creek’ is a really fun song that works great live,” Smith says. “But in the true heart of country music, what I want to stand for as an artist, I think this one begins to kind of unveil that.” 

Bluegrass duo Darin & Brooke Aldridge have earned their first Billboard chart No. 1 with their new album Talk of the Town (released via Billy Blue Records), which debuted at the pinnacle of Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart for the week dated May 4.

The duo has previously notched five top 10 albums on Bluegrass Albums, including 2015’s Snapshots (which reached No. 8), 2017’s Faster and Farther (No. 7), 2019’s Inner Journey (No. 2), 2021’s This Life We’re Livin’ (No. 3) and 2023’s Hometown Holiday, which peaked at No. 4.

“What exciting news to wake up to today, knowing that Darin and Brooke fans and friends have been so eager and enthusiastic as they waited for our tenth studio album,” the duo shared on Instagram, telling their fans, “YOU are the reason we do what we love, and today’s good news makes us all the more certain that we’re doing exactly what we were born to do. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”

Among the songs on the dozen-track album is their version of The Desert Rose Band’s “Price I Pay” (featuring John Jorgenson, known for his work with Desert Rose Band, Earl Scruggs, Bonnie Raitt and more), written by Chris Hillman and Bill Wildes.

Brooke is a four-time International Bluegrass Music Award (IBMA) female vocalist of the year winner, while Darin is a former IBMA mentor of the year winner. Last year, the IBMA nominated their song “Jordan,” featuring Ricky Skaggs, Mo Pitney and Mark Fain, in the gospel recording of the year category, while the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards nominated the song in its bluegrass/country/roots recorded song of the year category.

Duane Eddy has died at age 86. The Grammy-winning guitarist was known for his influential style as well as hits such as “Rebel-‘Rouser” and “Peter Gunn.”

Eddy died Tuesday (April 30) of cancer in Franklin, Tenn., according to his wife, Deed Abbate. He is survived by his four children and wife.

“Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakeable signature ‘Twang’ sound,” a rep for Eddy told Variety. “He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.”

Born in April 26, 1938, in Corning, N.Y., Eddy began playing guitar as a young child. He went on to become one of few artists in the past century to find national fame purely as an instrumentalist, notching 27 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 such as “Rebel-‘Rouser,” which debuted at No. 6 in 1958; “Forty Miles of Bad Road,” which peaked at No. 9 in 1959; and “Because They’re Young,” which bowed at No. 4 in 1960. He also had two albums chart on the Billboard 200: Twangin’ Up a Storm!, which reached No. 93 in 1963, and Lonely Guitar, which made it to No. 144 in 1964.

He was the last surviving artist to chart in the top 10 of the inaugural Hot 100, which was published on Aug. 4, 1958.

Eddy was also a Grammy-decorated musician, winning his first-ever nomination in 1987 for “Peter Gunn” in the best rock instrumental performance category. In 1996, he earned a second Recording Academy nod for “Thunder Road/Sugarfoot Rag” for best country instrumental performance. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Kylie Jenner wants you to crack open some refreshing (spiked) soda this summer with the debut of her canned sparkling vodka drink, Sprinter. The beverage marks The Kardashians star and entrepreneur’s move into the alcohol space, sparking debate on whether her drinks will create competition between her and her sister Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand, 818 (though Kylie told Rolling Stone her brand is more like the “bubbly, juicy, and playful little sister”).

Expect perfect, pre-mixed flavors from the first sip of Sprinter — no cocktail books required. The beverage comes in a pack of eight with four different flavors to choose from, including grapefruit, lime, peach and black cherry. After launching in April, you can now buy Sprinter online from Total Wine, GoPuff, Kroger and Instacart — just in time for summer.

Keep reading to pick up your own pack of Sprinter to drink (responsibly) at home.

Sprinter Vodka Soda

$19.99

Buy Now on total wine

$19.99

Buy Now on gopuff

$19.49 $23.99 19% off

Buy Now on kroger

Each can of Sprinter is made from real fruit juice infused with vodka landing it at 4.5% ABV. You’ll receive eight, 12-ounce cans in a variety of flavors. All of the above sites let you order Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter vodka soda online, with shipping and delivery to your door.

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The TV personality joins the growing list of Hollywood and musician-owned alcohol brands including Matthew McConaughey’s Pantalones Blanco Tequila, Luke Bryan’s Two Lane Lagers and Cardi B’s Whipshots.

Just like her skincare brand Kylie Cosmetics, Jenner says she worked closely through the development and creation of the product to ensure it would be something she drinks in her daily life.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best tequila brands, musician-owned wines and porthole drink infuser.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

All episodes of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch are now officially available to stream online through Disney+. After premiering in 2021, the animated series concluded May 1 with the third season’s 15th and final episode. No matter if you’re new to the show or want to binge-watch the show from the beginning, all seasons can now be watched online.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch comes on the heels of additional Star Wars universe series including Andor and Ahsoka. The show follows a group of rebellious Clonetroopers as they look to reunite with Omega (an enhanced female clone created from Jango Fett’s genetic template) who is trapped in the Imperial’s scientific lab. As they navigate escaping the clutches of the Galactic Empire, the group must also figure out a way to rescue Omega and fight for freedom in a changing environment.

Voice actors you can expect to hear include Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Wanda Sykes, Jimmi Simpson, Noshir Dalal and Rhea Perlman.

Keep reading to learn the streaming options available to watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch online.

How to Watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch Online

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a Disney+ Original series, which means it’s exclusive to the streaming platform. If you’re already a Disney+ subscriber, you can watch the animated series for free when you log into your account.

Don’t have a Disney+ membership? The streamer doesn’t come with a free trial, but does offer a mix of plans starting at $7.99 a month for an ad-supported experience or you can go ad-free for just $13.99 a month.

Along with Star Wars: The Bad Batch, subscribers will have access to the entire Disney+ library including content from National Geographic, Marvel and Lucasfilm. You can look forward to streaming TV sows and movies such as The Mandalorian, Secret Invasion, WandaVision, The Book of Boba Fett, The Beatles Get Back, J-Hope in the Box, SUGA Road to D-Day, The Prouder Family: Louder & Prouder and more.

If you want even more content options, you can bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $14.99 a month.

And for live TV options, Hulu + Live TV can also be bundled with Disney+ and will provide you with more than 90 live channel options in addition to the Disney+ and Hulu on-demand library.

Is Star Wars: The Bad Batch in Chronological Order?

The series fits within the Star Wars timeline occurring sometime between Revenge of the Sith and before Solo: A Star Wars Story. Within the series, you can expect more context to the rise of the Empire as well as Order 66’s impact on the series’ character and society.

Check below to watch the trailer for Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

This week, Taylor Swift made history in more ways than one with the release of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. But perhaps the most mind-boggling of all the records she set was the first-week vinyl sales for the album, which came in at 859,000 — by far the largest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era, blowing past the second-largest week by more than 160,000 units.

That second-largest week, by the way? The debut frame of her last release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which sold 693,000 vinyl copies in the week ending Nov. 2, 2023. In fact, Swift has the top four biggest vinyl sales weeks in history — all of which have come in the past 18 months — and six of the top eight, reflecting not just the industry-wide popularity boom for the format, but her own evolving strategy and emphasis on physical media and fan-focused collectibles.

For Tortured Poets, Swift released six different vinyl variations (in addition to nine CD versions and four cassette versions), four of which were available widely and two of which were exclusives, one signed iteration through her own web store and one through Target. Of the four widely available, each included a different bonus track, and each have individually sold enough copies to top the vinyl sales charts for the week: the Manuscript edition (342,000); the Bolter edition (85,000); the Black Dog edition (79,000); and the Albatross edition (62,000).

That’s a continuation of the strategy she’s deployed in force since her, for lack of a better phrase, pandemic albums, Folklore and Evermore. And it’s a shining success story for how artists have been capitalizing on the resurrection of vinyl as not just physical art piece but also merch item, as the format has continued to surge for 18 years in a row, having hit 43.2 million U.S. sales in 2023, amounting to $1.35 billion in revenue, according to the RIAA.

Swift’s own career, in terms of album output, has grown along with that trend. Her self-titled debut album was released 18 years ago, in October 2006, a year when vinyl revenue sales in the U.S. were a mere $23.7 million. At that point, vinyl was such a niche market (and Swift was such a new artist) that for Taylor Swift and her second album, Fearless, Swift didn’t even release vinyl editions until May 2016, when they sold 500 copies and 1,000 copies, respectively, in their first week of availability. By the time of 2010’s Speak Now, Swift’s star power was much more formidable, but vinyl was still pretty niche; all vinyl sales in the U.S. that year accumulated $124.2 million, according to the RIAA, and Speak Now moved 500 copies in its first week.

Red, in 2012, was a true breakthrough moment for Swift in terms of her pop career, and the vinyl business had itself added nearly $100 million in value in just two years, to $213.3 million; Red sold 1,000 copies in the first week it came out in the format. Two years later, when she released 1989, the vinyl industry had added another $100 million per year, and the standard vinyl moved 11,000 copies in its first week of availability. For 2017’s Reputation, a slightly delayed street date release led to a 9,000 sale week in what was technically its second week of availability, with Swift still sticking to the standard vinyl option.

It was for Lover that Swift’s strategy first began to change, as she began experimenting with vinyl offerings beyond the standard black record, and the numbers began to really jump. When the album came out on the format in November 2019, it was as a colored double-vinyl, sold exclusively at Target, which helped boost that first-week number to 18,000 copies — at the time, the largest vinyl sales week by a woman since Adele’s 25 during Christmas week 2015 (reflected on the Jan. 9, 2016, chart). By 2019, vinyl sales in the U.S. had reach the half-billion-dollar mark — and the real jump for the format was on the horizon.

The figures for Folklore — 9,000 copies week one — at first may seem like a regression. But the pandemic brought about two competing trends: both an aggressive jump in the popularity of vinyl, and vast, industry-wide supply-chain issues related to the production of it. Since Folklore was a surprise release on July 24, 2020, the vinyl was delayed until November; but Swift sold digital-physical bundles when the album was first released, meaning that the digital sale was counted during the July release week, but when the vinyl finally shipped in November — the first-week availability tracked here — the sales were not counted as vinyl, as they had already been counted as digital. (The chart rules have since changed so they are no longer counted together.) So while Folklore’s first week as a wide release had 615,000 album sales, there’s no clear way of delineating how many of those sales included vinyl copies; and the first-week figure in November, of 9,000 copies, represents the number purchased during that week, when many of Swift’s die-hard fans were receiving the album, though it was not tracked that way.

Nonetheless, Folklore was the first Swift album to really lean in to the vinyl-as-collectible trend, with seven alternate covers in addition to the standard black pressing available. Evermore would follow suit, with another pandemic-related delay helping its first week: The album was released in December 2020, but the vinyl came out in May 2021, allowing for five months of banked pre-orders, and with a collectible tweak: It was available in two green-colored variants and a red-colored Target exclusive, resulting in a then-record 102,000 vinyl sales in its first week of availability.

What followed was the furious slate of re-releases of her older albums, as well as her own new releases, many of which followed similar strategies — and led to truly eye-popping, record-breaking numbers. Fearless (Taylor’s Version), also with a delayed physical release, came with two vinyl versions, a gold variant and a red Target exclusive, leading to a 67,000-copy first week; Red (Taylor’s Version) followed shortly after with two versions, both of which were four-LP sets that sold for $49.99 and led to a 114,000-sale first week, re-setting her own record.

By the time Midnights rolled around a year later, Swift’s playbook was complete: multiple covers, multiple colored vinyl variants and multiple vinyl editions of each album. Midnights had four variant editions sold widely, as well as another as a Target exclusive, while each of the wide releases were also available as signed copies. The result: 575,000 LPs sold in a week. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the following July, had three colored variants, one of which was a Target exclusive; 268,000 vinyl sales later, it also entered the pantheon. And 1989 (Taylor's Version) completed the pre-Tortured Poets set: five color variants, one a Target exclusive with an extra bonus track, and 693,000 LPs sold in its first week.

Since the pandemic year of 2020, vinyl sales in the U.S. ballooned from $820 million to the 2023 peak of $1.35 billion in revenue. And while that’s an industry-wide trend, Swift’s strategies, and successes, have surely had plenty to do with it, too.

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Lance Bass is kicking off the month of May with a special collaboration. The singer teamed with Marriott Bonvoy for a one-of-a-kind dance experience that *NSYNC fans won’t want to miss.

Announced Wednesday (May 1), the private dance experience is part of Marriott Bonvoy Moments’ 1-Point Drops, where members can use just 1 point to bid on epic experiences.

“I was excited for this opportunity with Marriott, so I can connect with the fans and do something super exclusive with them and of course, we’re going to do some amazing, fun dancing together,” Bass said in a phone interview with Billboard on Monday. “I won’t tell you exactly the song we’re going to do, but it’s a one-hour dance class where we let go of all our inhibitions, dance like nobody’s watching, and have a really fun time.

“And of course, we’re going to take center stage for a final performance all together,” he added. “It’ll be fun.”  

TikTok dance duo Cost n’ Mayor will join Bass for the “nostalgic dance class” set to take place at Heart WeHo in West Hollywood, Calif., on Friday, July 26. The dance experience will include a meet-and-greet and photo opportunities with Bass and Cost n’ Mayor.

Marriott Bonvoy Moments gives members the opportunity to use their points to gain access to unique experiences and other activities offered for set price, auctions, or for just one point. Guests can bid on the 1-Point Drop with Lance Bass and Cost n’ Mayor Dance Experience starting Thursday (May 2) at noon ET.

And fans don’t need previous experience to hit the dance floor. “You’ll be surprised what a choreographer can get you to do within an hour,” Bass said. “So yeah, by the end of this, no one’s going to be nervous. They’re going to have so much fun, they’re going to beg to do it again.”

Bass, who hosts the podcast Frosted Tips, recently returned back to the States from Egypt, where he attended the wedding of billionaire Ankur Jain and former WWE star Erika Hammond and did an impromptu performance of *NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye.”

“I don’t think there’s been a wedding in the last 25 years that I haven’t just got up onstage, maybe had a couple of drinks beforehand [and performed] ‘Bye, Bye, Bye.’”

The song is still a fan favorite more than 20 years after it was released. “It’s always ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ that everyone wants at their wedding. Especially at the end,” Bass said. “It’s funny because [‘Bye, Bye, Bye’] wasn’t even our biggest song, but I think it’s one of the most memorable. It’s because you can fit it in to so many different situations. Saying ‘bye, bye, bye’ to anything. It’s also nostalgic [and] I think people are wanting that right now.”

Speaking of nostalgia, Bass and the rest of *NSYNC joined Justin Timberlake for a surprise performance in March, and while no official reunion tour has been announced, Bass will likely attend Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which launched in Vancouver, B.C., on April 29.

“This summer I’m really going to take some time off, enjoy traveling with the kids,” said Bass, who shares 2-year-old twins with husband Michael Turchin. “Go see the grandparents down in Miami and Mississippi. Go visit my friends in New York City, maybe go see Justin [Timberlake] on a couple of shows because I know he starts the tour [April 29], which we’re super excited for. I just want to eat up every moment I can with the kids these days.”

Dua Lipa is in her happy era, as expressed in her upcoming album, Radical Optimism. Ahead of the release, the pop superstar sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to reflect on how she’s been feeling.

“With this album, I feel like I’ve managed to put so much more honesty out there, and be really open in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to,” she shared. “There’s this one song, which is the last song in the album called ‘Happy for You.’ And I love that song because, to me, it’s about seeing someone who you were with move on, and be really happy for them. And I probably wouldn’t have been able to write that song on my first or second record because I don’t feel like I probably would’ve grown as a person or as an artist to be able to see someone that you loved move on. Or I would’ve found it difficult.”

Lipa also shared how her relationships affected her growth in the past few years, and how she’s now looking for someone who is “loyal and open and honest” to be in a partnership with. “I think with every relationship, with every experience you learn about yourself, you learn about things that are hurtful to you, what you expect, what you should be ready to give as well,” she shared. “I think, again, it goes back to that exchange of vulnerability. I think I’ve had relationships which have been really hurtful, especially earlier on, where I feel like I’ve been made to feel like not good enough or have made me lose my confidence. I’ve had to find that again.”

She continued, “You learn about your own non-negotiables. I think that’s an important thing. It’s of course the right person, but it’s really about the right relationship. And you find that in friendships and in love relationships as well, of your non-negotiables. What are you willing to give up? […] I want someone who’s loyal and open and honest, and that’s what I’m willing to be as well in return. You figure out what those things are for you.”

Radical Optimism is out on May 3. Watch Lipa’s full interview with Zane Lowe below.

Cher has an unlikely favorite artist these days as she showed love to one of rap’s late West Coast legends.

Although the singer and 2Pac never had the chance to collaborate, she’s been loving his music after boyfriend Alexander “A.E.” Edwards put her on to the “California Love” rapper.

Cher joined The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday (May 1), where she crowned 2Pac as her go-to these days.

“2Pac,” she said when asked about her favorite artist. “[My boyfriend] Alexander started playing me 2Pac.” The depth of Pac’s artistry blew away Cher, along with just how potent his songwriting was. “I was so taken aback by the depth of the words,” she added.

Being nearly four decades younger than the 77-year-old ageless wonder, Edwards — who is a music exec and Tyga affiliate — has brought some new perspective to Cher even though 2Pac was fatally shot more than 27 years ago.

Elsewhere in her chat with Jennifer Hudson, Cher explained why she prefers a more youthful taste in men.

“I’m really shy when I’m not working and kind of shy around men,” she said. “And the reason I go out with young men is because men my age or older — well, now they’re all dead — but before they just never, they were always terrified to approach me and younger men were the only ones that did.”

Cher became tied to A.E. in 2022 and they went public with their relationship in November 2022 when the “Believe” singer posted a photo of the couple to social media.

“On paper, it’s kind of ridiculous,” the singer told Kelly Clarkson on her show regarding the relationship with Edwards. “But in real life, we get along great. He’s fabulous. And I don’t give men qualities that they don’t deserve.”

Watch more clips from Cher’s appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show below.

Megan Thee Stallion is ready to heat up for a Hot Girl Summer. The Houston Hottie teased fans on Wednesday (May 1) to gear up for what she’s dubbing “Megan May” this month.

The 29-year-old kicked off “Megan May” with a slimy yet racy photo shoot. Continuing with the serpentine theme of her previous singles, she appears to be shedding her skin heading into the new era in the snap.

“Hotties it’s officially MEGAN MAY Get ready,” she wrote alongside the seafoam green-tinted photo.

Plenty of fans were hyped by the announcement, as was Juicy J. “Yes sir,” he chimed in in the comments section.

“I was inspired to create this album about rebirth because I feel I am becoming a new person physically and mentally,” she told Women’s Health of the project in April.

Her upcoming album remains without a release date, but it’s possibly inching closer with Megan set to hit the road for her Hot Girl Summer World Tour. The North American trek will feature support from GloRilla, and is slated to run through arenas starting on May 14 in Minneapolis at the Target Center.

Meg and Glo will visit 31 cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Thee Stallion’s hometown of Houston. Megan will travel across the pond starting on July 4 in Glasgow, Scotland, with more European shows in England, France, Germany and Ireland scheduled.

GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion teamed up for “Wanna Be” in April on Glo’s Ehhthang Ehhthang EP, which sits at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s already been a robust 2024 campaign for Meg, who added another Hot 100 No. 1 single to her résumé with the fiery “Hiss.”

In February, Megan announced that she agreed to an innovative partnership with Warner Music Group. The unique distribution deal allows Thee Stallion to maintain independence while accessing WMG’s global services ranging from music promotion to distribution and worldwide marketing.

Find Megan Thee Stallion’s teaser below.

SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify the 2024 Sound Recordings Code which requires the record labels — Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Disney Music Group — to abide by its AI safety rules. Notably, these are the first-ever explicitly defined compensation requirements for the release of sound recordings containing AI voices.

With a vote of 97.69% to 2.31%, SAG-AFTRA members, which include actors as well as singers and recording artists, now will receive this protections, effective immediately, for the term of 2021-2026. Now, the term “artist,” “singer” and “royalty artist” under this agreement only can refer to human talent. “Clear and conspicuous” consent is required prior to the release of a sound recording that uses a digital replication of an artist’s voice.

Artists who are replicated are also entitled to receive specific details about the replica’s intended use and to minimum compensation. Compensation for artists must align with the royalty share the artist would earn on other sound recordings under their contract, and sessions singers must receive a minimum of three sides per project. A minimum of 28 hours notice of any recording session for the purpose of creating a digital replica is expected and that session time should be paid as work time.

Additionally, blanket consent for digital or AI replication is prohibited. Instead, record labels must obtain consent on a per-project basis — a provision which will prevent labels from asking artists to sign away their digital likeness for lengthy terms as part of their deals.

In the year since Ghostwriter’s fake-Drake song “Heart On My Sleeve” brought conversations about AI voices to the forefront, little has been done to actually enforce the protection of artists’ identities. While the federal government is considering a few bills (like the draft NO FAKES Act and the NO AI FRAUD Act) to create a nationwide right of publicity that would create uniform protection for artists’ names, images, and voices, these protections, for now, remain a patchwork of varying state laws that were largely written before artificial intelligence presented new use cases for AI.

“Singers and recording artists have a profound impact on our culture, and I’m thrilled that they’ve achieved a contract that not only recognizes their value with significant wage increases, but also provides them essential protections around artificial intelligence,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “We celebrate our human performers! I applaud the negotiating committee and staff, the record labels, and SAG-AFTRA members for getting this contract across the finish line!”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “This contract secures groundbreaking A.I. guardrails while also achieving crucial and substantial wage increases, and other key wins for singers and recording artists. Protecting human artistry will always be SAG-AFTRA’s priority, and I’m heartened that our members have a contract that provides immediate gains and recognizes the importance of human contributions to the industry. I also want to acknowledge Negotiating Committee Chair Dan Navarro and the entire committee and staff for their outstanding and dedicated work in achieving this agreement.”

Sound Recordings Code Negotiating Committee Chair Dan Navarro said, “Members’ feedback played a key role in the formation of this contract and the negotiating committee prioritized the concerns that were most crucial to the singers and recording artists impacted by these terms. We’re proud to have achieved these essential wins in A.I. protections along with substantial wage increases and gains in health and retirement funding.”

Other wins included wage increases and gains in health and retirement funding. To read the full list of provisions, see here.

Ed Sheeran is going all-out for the 10th anniversary celebration of his sophomore album, x. Ten years to the day of the LP’s original release, Sheeran will drop x (10th Anniversary Edition) on June 21, an expanded version of the 12-song original featuring nine bonus tracks, none of which have ever been available on vinyl before.

In addition, Sheeran will play a special, one-off show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on May 22 with a setlist reflecting his 24-track 2015 x (Wembley Edition) release. According to a release, he’s also partnered with Seated for an exclusive fan on-sale to assure that tickets get into the hands of fans, with registration open now through Thursday (May 2) at 11:59 p.m. ET; click here for more details on the pre-sale. Expecting demand to be overwhelming, the pre-sale will be limited to a select number of randomly selected fans, with only one registration allowed per person. Registered fans will be notified via email or text before noon ET on Sunday (May 5) with a unique, one-time code that will allow them to buy up to two tickets via Ticketmaster.

Getting a code does not guarantee the ability to buy tickets, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis when they go on sale to the general public on Monday (May 6) at 10 a.m. ET. For context, Sheeran’s team noted that his most recent New York shows were in front of 173,390 fans across two shows at MetLife Stadium, with only 12,000 tickets available for the Barclays gig.

Sheeran’s second album helped turn him into a global superstar, with 22 million worldwide sales thanks to such hits as “Don’t,” “Sing,” “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud.” The bonus tracks include: “Take It Back,” “Shirtsleeves,” “Even My Dad Does Sometimes,” “I See Fire” (from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), “All of the Stars” (from The Fault in Our Stars), “English Rose,” “Touch and Go,” “New York” and “Make It Rain.”

Drake might be from Canada, but his American pop culture references have continued to be on point.

All eyes were on the 6 God following Kendrick Lamar’s scathing diss track “Euphoria” arrived on Tuesday morning (April 30). Drizzy appeared to laugh off K. Dot’s threats by bringing actress Julia Stiles into the feud.

Drake posted a clip to his Instagram Story on Tuesday night from 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, featuring a scene to close out the classic rom-com with Stiles’ character Kat reading a poem listing everything she hates about Heath Ledger’s Patrick. However, the clip cuts off before she admits she doesn’t hate him at all, which Drizzy captioned it with a wink-face and broken-heart emoji, with no direct mention of Kendrick.

“I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick — it even makes me rhyme! I hate it, I hate the way you’re always right,” she spews.

“I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call.”

With the clip on Instagram Stories, Drake appears to be making light of Kendrick’s bars on “Euphoria,” on which the latter admits to being Drizzy’s “biggest hater” and disses the way he walks, talks and dresses.

“I’m the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk / the way that you talk / I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way that you sneak diss / if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct,” Lamar raps.

It’s not the first pop-culture reference Drake has made in the rap civil war. In April, he recalled his “Push Ups” lyric asking, “Is this a 20-v-1” by posting a photo of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill surrounded by enemies bracing for a sword fight.

The 53-year-old actress responded through an Instagram Story of her own featuring a photo of the iconic suit from the movie, asking if Drake had any use for it. “Need this? @champagnepapi,” she wrote.

Drake replied: “Yes pls. The pen is the Hattori Hanzo.”

Following the arrival of “Euphoria,” which saw Kendrick attack the 6 God’s biracial identity, fatherhood and artistry, the ball is back in Drake’s court.

Watch the clip below.

Two generations of Blunt women are officially Swifties. In a Tuesday (April 30) interview with Howard Stern, Emily Blunt gushed about her family’s shared love for Taylor Swift, recalling the time the pop star left her oldest daughter breathless with a single compliment.

“She’s the nicest,” the actress told Stern of introducing her children, 10-year-old Hazel and 7-year-old Violet, to the “Anti-Hero” singer. “She was so nice to my kids.”

“My oldest kid had just cut all of her hair off, this very short haircut that she was very self-conscious about,” continued Blunt, who shares the girls with husband John Krasinski. “And Taylor Swift, goes, ‘God, look at you, you’re just this ’60s Beatnik cool kid. I love your style.’”

“I thought my child was going to faint,” added the Oppenheimer star. “It was the best thing anyone’s done for my child. She’s very cool.”

The interview comes a couple weeks after Blunt revealed her favorite Swift song alongside her Fall Guy costar, Ryan Gosling. “I’d say ‘Cruel Summer’ is pretty up there for me,” she told Fandango at the time, confirming that she 100% identifies as a Swiftie, while the Canadian actor answered, “‘All Too Well’ right now has a real soft spot in my heart.”

A few days later, Blunt and Gosling did a spoof cover of the Red ballad on Saturday Night Live, dedicated to the latter’s Barbie character, Ken. Swift praised the performance on social media shortly afterward, writing on Instagram, “All Too Well (Ryan and Emily’s Version)!!! Watch me accidentally catch myself singing this version on tour. This monologue is everything.”

Watch Blunt recall her daughter’s sweet moment with Swift on The Howard Stern Show below.

A U.K. parliamentary committee is calling on the British government to introduce tough new laws that would make it illegal for artificial intelligence (AI) developers to use copyright-protected music for training purposes without consent – and protect creators and artists from the unauthorized use of their voice and image in AI-generated works.

A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music published Wednesday (May 1) says that regulating artificial intelligence would help ensure creators and consumers in the United Kingdom, the world’s third-biggest music market, are protected from the “threats” AI poses to the music business, while still harvesting its benefits.

A key priority for the British government should be the creation of a comprehensive “pro-creative industries” AI bill that will require tech companies to clearly label all AI-generated content and keep an auditable record of all music used in the input process, says the cross-party group of more than 100 elected members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers.

The parliamentary group also calls on policymakers to establish a specific personality right to protect creators and artists from AL-generated deepfakes, misappropriation and false endorsement.

Under current law, the United Kingdom stands apart as one of the few jurisdictions that lacks explicit protection for individuals’ likeness, voice and image with the closest equivalent being a legal concept known as “passing off,” which protects a persons’ image or name from unauthorized commercial use, says Sophie Goossens, partner at global law firm Reed Smith.

“The absence of such protection has been starkly highlighted by advancements in AI deepfakes technology,” Goossens tells Billboard. “Consequently, it’s no surprise that the creative industry is now pushing for the establishment of this new right.”

Other recommendations in the report, entitled “Artificial Intelligence and the Music Industry – Master or Servant?,” include ensuring that AI developers and tech companies trading in the U.K. comply with the country’s existing copyright laws and obtain a license from rights holders before using any copyright-protected material, regardless of where the developer is based.

Additionally, the British government should take a lead role in the creation of an international taskforce on AI, ensuring best practice is shared across borders, says the report. It follows a parliamentary inquiry, launched in January, looking into the impact of AI on the music business, which has seen stakeholders from across the music, tech and legal industries present evidence. 

The parliamentary group’s recommendations come almost two years after U.K. government body The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) was heavily criticized by the music industry for proposing a new text and data mining (TDM) exception that would have allowed AI developers to freely use copyright-protected works for commercial purposes (albeit with certain restrictions).

Those proposals were quietly shelved by the government the following year but progress on any form of U.K. legislation governing the use of AI has been slow and remains at the consultation stage.

In contrast, the 27-member block European Union, which the United Kingdom officially left in 2020, passed its world-first Artificial Intelligence Act earlier this year. It requires tech companies and AI developers operating in Europe to provide detailed summaries of any copyrighted works, including music, that they have used to train their systems, as well as clear labelling of AI-generated works.

Other major music markets, including the United States, Japan and China are advancing their own attempts to regulate the nascent technology.  

“The U.K. must grasp the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of music if it is to retain its role as a powerhouse in exporting music and nurturing world-class talent,” said APPG on Music chair Kevin Brennan in a statement.

Brennan said the government needs to “confront the danger that unfettered developments in AI could pose to the U.K.’s musicians and music businesses” and ensure that “AI serves as a catalyst” for progress in the industry rather than “a destroyer of creators’ livelihoods.”

Rachel Lyske, CEO of AI-composer tool DAACI, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said the government “must and can give” the U.K. music industry the backing it needs to deliver a fair AI system “that protects human artistry and acknowledges every part of the value chain.”

Included in the APPG report are the findings from a poll of more than 2,000 people around the topic of AI, conducted on behalf of umbrella trade body UK Music. It found that four out of five people (83%) believe AI-generated works must be clearly labelled as such – and that more than three quarters (77%) of respondents agree that AI-generated music that fails to acknowledge the original creator amounts to theft. 

Responding to the report’s findings, the U.K. Musicians’ Union (MU) thanked the parliamentary group for looking into the impact of AI on the music business but said its recommendations to government ministers don’t go far enough to protect performers.

The MU said it was “vital” that any future licensing scheme governing the use of copyright-protected works to train AI systems requires the “clear, explicit consent” of individual creators, as opposed to just the label or publisher rights holders.

The performer trade group also wants to see musicians receive a higher level of protection around personality rights, including a performer’s playing, compositional or lyrical style, in any future legislation.

“While assistive AI is already being adopted by creators, we urgently need legislation to deal with the implications of generative AI,” said MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl in a statement.

“Once again, we are up against big tech and lobbying groups with much larger resources than our own. However, we know many decision-makers are listening and keen to help,” said Pohl.

She said the MU would continue to engage with the government on the issue of AI and music streaming to “ensure our members get a fair deal and aren’t repeatedly taken advantage of by rights owners or users of their works.”