Tag: billboard

Billboard Magazine Music

The Billion Dollar Deal Between Primary Wave & Kobalt | Billboard On The Record 0 (0)

The business of music is changing, and the stakes have never been higher. Following Primary Wave’s billion-dollar-plus acquisition of Kobalt, Primary Wave CEO/founder Larry Mestel and Kobalt CEO Laurent Hubert join Billboard On The Record host Kristin Robinson in an exclusive first interview to break down the deal and what it means for the future of music publishing. They discuss how their new business arrangement will work, how many millions they’ve each spent on music catalogs this year and why it seems acquisitions and mergers have become the music industry norm in 2026. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

One Direction, BTS & the Evolution of Boy Band Fandom | Billboard On The Record 0 (0)

Boy bands may be built on fandom, but behind the music is a business that shapes everything from how groups are formed to how they make money. On this week’s episode of Billboard On The Record, Jason Lipshutz, Billboard’s co-chief content officer, joins host Kristin Robinson to discuss his new book, ‘A Whole Lotta History: One Direction and the Sound That Shaped a Generation.’ Lipshutz breaks down how boy bands are formed, how One Direction rose to stardom and what the future holds for boy bands. From One Direction to BTS and New Kids on the Block, Lipshutz and Robinson [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Universal Music Group Restructing: What It Means for Artists | On the Record Monthly Music News 0 (0)

From restructuring at Universal Music Group to legal disputes between Summer Walker and her label and the landmark court ruling about termination rights, October 2026 shaped up to be a busy month in the music industry. On this special bonus episode of Billboard On The Record, host Kristin Robinson sits down with Billboard executive editor of business Dan Rys to break down some of the month’s biggest headlines.Love what you hear? Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Billboard On The Record. Love what you hear? Follow Billboard On The Record on Instagram, [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Questlove on Sampling, Earth, Wind & Fire and the Evolution of Hip-Hop | Billboard On The Record 0 (0)

Sampling has shaped some of the most influential music of the last 50 years — and Questlove has been there for much of its evolution. The musician and music historian joins Billboard’s Kristin Robinson on Billboard On The Record for a conversation about his Earth, Wind & Fire documentary — Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) — the history of sampling and his work as a music historian. From the lawsuit against Biz Markie, which made sampling more difficult and expensive, to AI-generated crate digging and the surge of catalog sales, Questlove [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Aaron Dessner on Songwriting & Collaborating w/ Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan & Gracie Abrams 0 (0)

From Taylor Swift to Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams, Aaron Dessner is one of the industry’s most sought-after collaborators. The musician, producer and record label owner has built a career across many different corners of the music industry, from his work with The National to producing and writing with some of today’s biggest artists to launching a studio, record label and a number of music festivals. Dessner joins Billboard’s Kristin Robinson on this week’s episode of Billboard On The Record to talk through his music industry journey, the art of collaboration, and how his experimentation with founding record labels and [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

How TV, Social Media & Music Streaming Revived Catalog Music | On the Record 0 (0)

Nostalgia is shaping what listeners stream. On this week’s episode of Billboard On The Record, Luminate CEO Rob Jonas sits down with Billboard’s Kristin Robinson to unpack the data behind the resurgence of catalog music and what it says about the way people discover and engage with their favorite songs today. From the rise of ’90s and 2000s hits to the growing influence of film and television placements, Jonas explains how streaming has transformed the music business into a data-driven industry where catalog listening continues to climb and algorithms are shaping the way artists and songs break through. Jonas also [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Ray Chew on Music Directing Live TV: DWTS, SNL & Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade | On the Record 0 (0)

‘Dancing With the Stars’ music director Ray Chew breaks down how ‘DWTS’ pulls off live music every week—“unbaking the cake” on arrangements, managing rehearsals, and executing under the pressure of live TV where “there is no do-it-again.” Ray also shares how he got his start (including ‘Saturday Night Live’ and Showtime at the Apollo), what goes into the ‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’ broadcast (including “rainy day vocals”), and what he learned from working with legends like Quincy Jones and Alicia Keys. 00:00:00 Ray Chew intro 00:02:15 What a music director does 00:05:10 Inside DWTS week: “unbake the cake” 00:09:35 Contestants [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Suno CEO Mikey Shulman Breaks Down V6 & the Warner/BMG Partnership | On the Record 0 (0)

Breaking news in the AI music world: Suno CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman sits down with Billboard’s Kristin Robinson for the launch of Suno’s new V6 models, which he says were made “in partnership with the industry” for the first time. Though Suno is actively being sued by a number of music companies, like Universal, Sony, SOCAN, Koda and more, for copyright infringement, the AI music company has also announced three partnerships in the music biz — Warner Music Group, Believe and BMG — and V6 marks the first time Suno is sharing its revenue with industry partners. Shulman also [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Rebecca Black Looks Back At the Virality of “Friday” 15 Years Later | Billboard On the Record 0 (0)

Rebecca Black joins Billboard’s On the Record to go deep on one of the biggest questions in music right now: Is there such a thing as bad virality? Fifteen years after “Friday” made her the internet’s most unavoidable conversation, Rebecca reflects on how different the online world was in 2011—when a monoculture could make something feel “everywhere”—versus today’s hyper-personal algorithms, niche platforms and nonstop viral cycles. She revisits what it felt like for a song to explode while she was still a kid trying to understand the industry, identity and perception in real time. Rebecca talks about the pressure artists [See More…]

Billboard Magazine Music

Drake, AI & The Live Nation Case: Breaking Down Music’s Biggest Stories | Billboard On The Record 0 (0)

We’re halfway through 2026, and the music industry has already had its fair share of headline-making moments. From Spotify’s AI remix plans and Drake’s surprise three-album drop to company mergers and antitrust battles, Billboard’s business editorial team breaks down the biggest stories shaping the industry so far this year. They also revisit the predictions they made at the start of 2026 in an earlier episode of Billboard On The Record, revealing which have already come true, which surprised them and what they expect to happen next. Host Kristin Robinson is joined by Billboard executive editor of business Dan Rys, senior [See More…]