Deals
Lemonaide, an AI platform for music creation, has introduced its new Collab Club feature in partnership with BeatStars. The tool allows producers to train AI models using their own music catalogues, opening up possibilities for new collaborations and revenue streams. Michael ‘MJ’ Jacob, Lemonaide's Founder and CEO, explains, "Lemonaide Collab Club connects creators with some of today's best producers - building a strong creative community while giving artists agency in the AI space."
Gucci has named BTS member Jin as its newest global brand ambassador. The fashion house announced the partnership yesterday, releasing a photo campaign featuring Jin in pieces from their Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection. Sabato De Sarno, Gucci's Creative Director, says, "His warm and kind personality is truly magnetic, and his style is simply unique." The announcement apparently caused Gucci's website in Japan to crash briefly due to overwhelming traffic, a phenomenon fans are dubbing "The Seokjin impact".
Appointments
David Salt has been appointed Deputy Director Of Audio at Bauer Media Audio UK, a newly created role, with immediate effect. Salt, formerly Deputy Content Director for Greatest Hits Radio, will concentrate on Bauer's new platform Rayo in this position. Gary Stein, Bauer Media Director Of Audio, says, "David has been a crucial part of the team whose creative vision and passion for audio has seen Greatest Hits Radio become the nation's most listened to commercial radio station – a phenomenal achievement." Salt adds, "I'm delighted to take on this new role of Deputy Director Of Audio and am looking forward to working alongside Gary Stein and with the brilliant teams here at Bauer Media Audio UK”.
MCT Agentur, the Berlin-based independent promoter, has elevated Asita Sadeghian and Kristin Schulz to managing directors alongside founder Scumeck Sabottka. The pair, who have been with the company for over two decades, join the management team as MCT Agentur celebrates its 40th anniversary. Founded in 1984, the firm promotes acts like Rammstein and Robbie Williams, while also operating agency and management divisions. "This appointment represents a significant milestone in the company's development and demonstrates MCT Agentur's commitment to further expanding its leading position in the industry," the company says.
Tickets For Good has appointed former Ticketmaster Executive Vice President Don Orris as President of its North American Business Operations. Orris will spearhead the company's expansion in the US and Canada, leveraging his industry connections to drive partnerships with event promoters to distribute unsold tickets to charities and deserving individuals. Steve Rimmer, CEO and Founder of Tickets For Good, says, "We hope that, with Don's leadership, we will continue our rapid growth even faster and be able to support the tier-one clients we are talking to every day across the events markets in live music, theatre and sports while working with the biggest ticketing retailers in the world as our partners."
Universal Music’s Capitol Christian Music Group has promoted three key executives to senior vice president roles. Emily Dashiell becomes Senior Vice President Of Commercial Partnerships, overseeing revenue strategies and partner activations. Jeff Gunkel is elevated to Senior Vice President Of Market Development, managing digital rights and the Re:Think Records label. Carlos Monnaco is promoted to Senior Vice President Of Finance, expanding his remit to include financial planning and IT. Brad O'Donnell and Hudson Plachy, Co-Presidents of Capitol Christian Music Group, comment, "We are THRILLED to share the exciting news of Emily Dashiell, Jeff Gunkel and Carlos Monnaco's well-deserved promotions." Dashiell adds, "The future of christian and gospel music is robust – and I'm eager to help drive new commercial strategy, bespoke innovation, and accelerated growth for our talented roster of artists."
TikTok has promoted Charlotte Stahl to Head of Artist & Label Partnerships for EMEA, extending her remit beyond her previous German-speaking markets focus. Stahl, who joined the company in 2020, will now oversee music partnerships across Europe (excluding the UK), the Middle East and North Africa. "I'm deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me on this journey, especially my fantastic team and long-standing partners with whom I have the fortune to work and learn from every day," says Stahl. Prior to TikTok, Stahl's career included time at Sony Music, Roba Publishing and a three-and-a-half-year stint at Google, where she worked on YouTube's artist development initiatives.
Legal
Travis Scott has been arrested in Paris following an alleged altercation with his bodyguard and hotel security at the George V hotel. French authorities say that Scott was arrested for "violence against a security guard" who had intervened after an apparent fight between the rapper and his personal bodyguard. The incident comes just a day after prosecutors in Miami dropped a disorderly intoxication charge against Scott related to a separate incident on a yacht in June. Sources told TMZ that Scott had been "extremely upset" with his security after "multiple days of being chased and harassed by paparazzi" in Paris. Dramatic video footage shows multiple police officers dragging Scott from the hotel lobby and placing him in a police vehicle. Scott's representative says, "We are in direct communication with the local Parisian authorities to swiftly resolve this matter and will provide updates when appropriate."
A lawsuit against Beyoncé and Sony Music over samples in her hit single ‘Break My Soul’ has been voluntarily dismissed. The case, filed in May by members of Da Showstoppaz, a New Orleans group, claimed that Beyoncé had used their music without permission via a sample of Big Freedia's ‘Explode’. The plaintiffs alleged that Big Freedia had unlawfully borrowed lyrics from their 2002 song ‘Release A Wiggle’. The voluntary dismissal, filed in Louisiana federal court, contained no mention of a settlement agreement.
Streaming, Digital & Broadcast
Instagram has made views the primary metric for content across all formats on its platform. The change, announced by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, allows creators to track the same metric across Reels, Stories, photos and other content types. "Historically we've shown different metrics for Reels versus. other posts, but we want to evolve this so it's easier to understand how your content is doing regardless of the format," Mosseri explains. While views will be the main focus, Mosseri also recommends creators monitor "sends per reach" - a measure of how often users share content relative to how many see it, indicating its viral potential. The update defines a view as each time a reel starts to play or replay, or when non-reel content appears on a user's screen, and will roll out in the coming weeks.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has announced the delay of two major product launches and a reduction in fiscal 2024 guidance, following ongoing issues with the company's redesigned app. This comes just weeks after Spence issued an open letter apologising to customers for the app's problems. During the company’s Q3 earnings call, Spence admitted, "With the app, my push for speed backfired." The company expects to invest between $20 million and $30 million in the short term to address the app issues and regain customer trust. Spence adds, "I will not rest until we're in a position where we've addressed the issues and have customers raving about Sonos again."
Audial Music AI has launched a new AI-powered audio production platform, offering a suite of tools for musicians, producers and audio enthusiasts. The platform's key features include an AI stem splitter for separating full mixes into individual components, an AI MIDI converter and generator, and tools for BPM detection, key finding and vocal isolation. Zach Farrell, founder of Audial Music AI, says, "Our AI stem splitter represents a significant leap forward in audio separation technology. Whether you're looking to remove vocals from a song, isolate specific instruments, or create remix-ready stems, our platform delivers professional-grade results with just a few clicks." The company says it aims to democratise advanced audio processing techniques, with Farrell adding, "Our goal is to make professional-grade audio tools accessible to everyone."
iHeartMedia has reported a 1% increase in total revenue to $929 million for the second quarter of 2024, despite recording an operating loss of $910 million. The company's digital audio segment drove growth, with podcast revenue rising 8.1% to $104.5 million and other digital revenue increasing 10.3% to $181 million. Bob Pittman, the company’s CEO, says, "We continue to see strong momentum in our podcast business, our digital excluding podcast business, and have seen sequential improvement of our Multiplatform Group's year-over-year revenue performance."
Live
Burning Man has launched an unprecedented ticket sale just weeks before its 2024 festival, with passes still available for the normally sold-out event. The OMG Sale offers standard entry tickets starting at $575, marking a significant departure from previous years when tickets would have been unavailable at this point. Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man Project, says, "We are pleased to have fulfilled demand for our earlier sales and be in a position to offer greater access to more people as the event nears." The move comes after recent challenges, including extreme weather events that have impacted attendance. Last year, around 70,000 people were stranded at the site after heavy rainfall turned the ground into a swamp.
Roger Field, former president of Live Nation Asia Pacific, has launched a new live events advisory agency called Further Afield. Based in Melbourne, Australia, the venture aims to guide businesses looking to interact with the live events industry, focusing on business development, market insights and industry advocacy. Field, who departed Live Nation in April 2024 after fourteen years with the company, explains his approach is built on creating new ways to "connect the previously unconnected." He adds, "The live events industry isn't particularly easy for outsiders to understand and navigate, and I see this as a huge, missed opportunity."
Germany's WHOLE Festival evacuated a stage due to a "threat to public safety". The event, held at Ferropolis from 2-5 Aug, received a "criminally offensive threat" message, prompting evacuation of the Forest Area. Local police cordoned off the Beach Stage area after a 9pm tip-off about potential threats. In a post on social media, WHOLE organisers commented, "When something like this comes in, the protocol is to evacuate the area for our collective safety until we're able... to verify the threat as fake." The incident affected 3500 festivalgoers, according to police reports.
Blink-182 have cancelled two upcoming shows in Kansas City and St Louis due to illness, the band has announced on social media. The pop-punk trio, currently on tour in the US, did not specify which member was affected but confirmed that refunds would be automatically issued to ticket holders who purchased through Ticketmaster. The tour is now set to resume on 12 Aug in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena.
Releases & Tours
The Smile have released their new single ‘Don't Get Me Started’.
Siobhán Winifred has released the title track to her debut album ‘Don't Do Well Alone’. The album is out 27 Sep.
Chase & Status and Stormzy have collaborated on new single ‘BACKBONE’.
Mal Not Bad has released their debut album ‘This Is Your New Life’.
Kali Uchis has released her new album ‘ORQUÍDEAS Parte 2’.
Bimini has released their new single ‘IF YOU GET IT YOU GET IT’.
TOMMY CASH has released his new single ‘UNTZ UNTZ’.
FINNEAS has released the title track single for his new album ‘For Cryin’ Out Loud!’. The album is out 4 Oct.
JADE has released Angel Of My Dreams (S.A.D. Version - Slow. Angelic. Dramatic).
Tomu DJ has released her new single ‘Haters can be mad’. Her new album 'I Want To Be' is out 31 Aug.
LÂLKA has released her new single ‘Yves Klein’
goddard. has released his new single ‘Miss U’.
Aziya has released her new single ‘call my name (lux lisbon)’.
LL COOL J has released his new single ‘Proclivities’, featuring Saweetie. His new album ‘The FORCE’ is out 6 Sep.
Myke Towers has collaborated with NTG on new single ‘LA PRIMERA VEZ’. His new album ‘La Pantera Negra’ is out 22 Aug.
KESH has released her new single ‘Cried For You’.
Jeremie Albino has released his new single ‘I Don't Mind Waiting’. His new album ‘Our Time In The Sun’ is out 1 Nov.
CC: DISCO! & Aldonna have released a remix of BIG WETT’s ‘SHE GOT THAT THING’.
House Gospel Choir have released their new album ‘Love is the Message’.
Wunderhorse have released their new single ‘Rain’. Their new album ‘Midas’ is out 30 Aug.
Will Young has released his new album ‘Light It Up’.
Latto has released her new album ‘Sugar Honey Iced Tea’.
Nina Nesbitt has released her new single ‘Anger’. Her new album ‘Mountain Music’ is out 27 Sep.
Dean Lewis and Sasha Alex Sloan have collaborated on new single ‘Rest’. His new album ‘The Epilogue’ is out 18 Oct.
Zedd has released his new single ‘Lucky’, featuring Remi Wolf. His new album ‘Telos’ is out 30 Aug.
Leon Thomas has released his new single ‘MUTT’.
Larry June has released his new album ‘Doing It For Me’.
Destroy Boys have released their new album ‘Funeral Soundtrack #4’.
Katy Perry has released her new single ‘LIFETIMES’. Her new album ‘143’ is out 20 Sep.
Shawn Mendes has released two new singles ‘Why Why Why’ and ‘Isn’t That Enough’. His new album ‘Shawn’ is out 18 Oct.
Michael Bublé has released his new single ‘Don't Blame It On Me’. His new album ‘The Best Of Bublé’ is out 27 Sep.
Snow Patrol have released their new single ‘All’. Their new album ‘The Forest Is The Path’ is out 13 Sep.
Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie and David Guetta have collaborated on new single ‘Cry Baby’.
Glasgow party Erosion has announced its latest season of events at The Flying Duck. Nights include dBridge and FAUZIA on 6 Sep. You can view the full listings here.