Vol 21 - I AM NEWS

Happy Friday,

Someone check on Sony Music & Recognition (Hipgnosis), Happy Pi HAIM Day & Radiohead returns?

Have thoughts on this week’s news? Just hit reply.

New Music Friday

What you need to know about today’s new releases

🎶 New albums and EPs from LE SSERAFIM, Charley Crockett, K CAMP, Bo Staloch, Twin Shadow, Finesse2tymes, Curren$y, clipping., Coheed and Cambria, Penelope Scott, Jasiah…

♪ Notable singles from Chappell Roan, HAIM, Lil Nas X, Calvin Harris, Lizzo, Peso Pluma, Lil Tecca, Bon Iver, Sleep Token, Key Glock, 4batz, JADE, Love Spells, Barry Can’t Swim, LUCKI, Sub Urban, Mura Masa, Jade Bird…

Each week, we go through Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists to highlight releases you should know about…

#1 - Chappell Roan goes country with Shania Twain vibes on new track ‘The Giver,’ co-written with Dan Nigro and Paul Cartwright.

#3/10 - Danielle Haim nabs 2 spots on the NMF top 10 this week with single drop ‘Relationships’ with her HAIM sisters and then a feature on Bon Iver’s ‘If Only I Could Wait.’

#4 - Lil Nas X returns with ‘HOTBOX,’ produced by Take A Daytrip, Omer Fedi & Ojivolta. 

#7 - Lizzo re-enters the chat with ‘Still Bad,’ turning some pain into some much-needed champagne.

#18 - With possibly the most iconic song title, JADE drops ‘FUFN (Fuck You For Now),’ co-written with Rachel Keen and more.

#21 - Can’t believe it’s been 20 years since Miranda Lambert released album Kerosene, but that means we finally get long-hidden track ‘I Don’t Love Here Anymore.’

#22 - Aminé drops ‘Familiar,’ produced by Buddy Ross, Jim E-Stack, Loukeman & Pasqué, off his forthcoming album.

#28 - Australian electropop outfit Parcels arrive with ‘Safeandsound.’ The group recently announced a NA tour.

#43 - Afrobeats superstar Davido drops ‘Be There Still’ ahead of his next album, 5IVE, releasing in April.

⭐ #70 - Hyperpop sad boy aldn is back with his first release of 2025 with ‘push you away.’

#80 - Third Eye Blind released their first music in 6 years with ‘Like a Lullaby,’ which they debuted at their Tiny Desk concert this week.

#89 - Ariana’s brother Frankie Grande drops debut single ‘Rhythm of Love’ on Casablanca/Republic.

#96 - K CAMP?! Yes. ‘BET’ makes the cut. It’s a bop.

#98 - Brett Eldredge drops ‘Lonestar Lovers’ on his indie label, Warm and Cozy Records.

⭐ = our pick of the week. Usually an under the radar artist to keep an eye on.

The Schedule

Notable upcoming releases

Men I Trust, Kevin Gates, Saba & No I.D., Japanese Breakfast, Selena Gomez & benny blanco, The Horrors, My Morning Jacket, Greentea Peng, James Arthur, S10 & Davido all have new projects expected to come out next week.

Sleep Token, Willie Nelson, Key Glock, billy woods, Barry Can’t Swim, The National’s Matt Berninger, Ma$e, Ty Segall, Nova Twins, AJ Tracey, Little Feat, John C. Reilly & Måneskin’s Damiano David all announced new albums this week.

ICYMI

Industry news that mattered this week

It’s been a busy week for Sony. First, the label demanded the removal of 75K+ AI-generated deepfakes of artist content. Now, they’re suing USC for using 170+ tracks on the school’s official social media accounts. Sony also donated $7.5M to NYU to create the Sony Audio Institute. Spotify released their Annual Music Economics Report, Loud & Clear. The streamer also removed an Andrew Tate podcast after 92K+ people signed a petition over the problematic content. Ben Katovsky unveiled Hipgnosis' rebrand as Recognition Music. Sirius XM announced a new round of layoffs, the 3rd time in three years. Radio broadcaster Audacy laid off 300 employees after coming back from last year's bankruptcy.

Radiohead formed a new LLP, a sign of a new project to come. The 2nd USC Annenberg Inclusion in the Music Business report was released, noting that 87% of top execs were male and 92% were white. The 2nd case alleging Ed Sheeran ripped of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' may be decided by the US Supreme Court. A federal judge challenged Miley Cyrus' request to dismiss a lawsuit she faces over 'Flowers.' Oasis announced a film will be produced around their reunion tour this summer by the creator of 'Peaky Blinders.' TDE launched a film division, starting with urban action horror movie The Zone. Abbey Road Institute announced plans to open an LA campus this Summer.

George Clinton filed a lawsuit against Bridgeport Music founder Armen Boladian, alleging fraud, copyright infringement and withholding royalties. Apple plans to launch an immersive Metallica concert experience via Vision Pro headset. "Leaving Neverland" director Dan Reed announced plans to film a 3rd installment of the documentary with the upcoming trial of Michael Jackson accusers against Jackson's companies.

small print

Updates on companies, acquisitions, takeovers and more

• Concord is rumored to be acquiring a majority stake takeover of Stem

• Sofar Sounds' VIP Business was acquired by Please & Thank You

• Universal acquired Dutch independent music company 8Ball

• Spotify didn’t crash… Unless you were using a pirated ‘premium’ service

• Amazon Music stands by new payout model amid indie backlash

• BMG merges teams as Chordal launched InstantClear

• Discussions for a TikTok US deal have yet to begin…

Group Chat

The section that’ll probably get us in trouble one of these days

Are Penske editors doing ok??

Lmfao

Who will Chris Martin pick for the '26 World Cup halftime?

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Imagine Dragons (6%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Greta Van Fleet (19%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ OneRepublic (6%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ The Script (13%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ James Blake (6%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Coldplay (50%)

Fresh Ink

Interesting artist signings

Announced this morning, Noah Cyrus has joined Matt Graham’s management roster at Range Music. Formerly with TaP Music, the singer amassed over 3 billion streams for her debut album The Hardest Part in 2022.

Longtime independent rapper Key Glock signed to Republic Records. The Memphis artist will continue to release under the late Young Dolph’s Paper Route Empire as well. 

4 Non Blondes, known for their hit ‘What’s Up?’, are reuniting for the first time in 30 years for shows at festivals Wonderfront, BottleRock & Shaky Knees in 2025. The group signed with Clementine Bunel, Marty Diamond & Duffy McSwiggin at Wasserman Music for touring.

Originally with Atlantic Records for 5 years, then independent, Sabrina Claudio has joined the EMPIRE label roster. The R&B singer released her first single with them ‘Need U to Need Me’ last week.

British DJ & producer Chris Lorenzo, who helped pioneer the house & bass scene, signed with Ferry Rais-Shaghaghi & Julian Teixeira of CAA for AUS/NA/SA. Wasserman will continue to represent for rest of the world.

Latin GRAMMY Best New Artist winner Joaquina, 20, agreed to a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. She starts her first-ever tour next week across the US & Latin America. 

Artist manager Pete Black launched new company Yorba with artists Cameron Hayes & Zion B. 

+135 signings on ROSTR this week

The Live World

Tour, festival and other live news

🎸 Biggest tours announced this week: Cyndi Lauper, Counting Crows, Sleep Token, Parcels, Muscadine Bloodline

Don't worry, if you're one of the delusional lucky people who snagged a FYRE Fest 2 ticket, consider your price of admission worth it as Antonio Brown confirmed his appearance on the bill. The former NFL star mentioned in an interview, "I’ll be performing at Fyre Fest part 2 in Mexico on May 30. Be there or be square […] make sure you put that shit on.”

Cyndi Lauper announced her final tour with stops in Australia, Japan & North America.

Harry Styles confirmed he is NOT doing a Sphere residency, despite rumors circulating that he would play 35 dates at the Vegas venue.

British dance duo Everything But The Girl will perform for the first time 25 years in London this April.

LL Cool J announced he will return as host for The iHeartRadio Music Awards. Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Glorilla, Gracie Abrams & more are set to perform.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are planning a global live stream of their Paris' Accor Arena show in November, the final stop of their European tour.

NIF’s parent co, The ROSTR Group, shared “Who Booked Glastonbury?”

Aussie DJ/producer Dom Dolla wrapped 2 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, bringing out acts like Tove Lo, Kid Cudi & more. This follows a record-breaking Australian run and the announcement of his debut Ibiza residency.

In other one-off news, Lizzo played her first public concert in over 2 years at The Wiltern in support of her upcoming album.

The second annual Music Sustainability Summit has announced its speakers including Maggie Baird (Billie + Finneas' mom), John Fernandez & Norhan Bayomi (co-founders of MIT Climate Machine) & others.

🎟️ Festival Headlines:

• J Balvin, Don Omar & Maluma will headline Baja Beach Fest this August

• Pitchfork Music Festival CDMX revealed its lineup including Little Simz, Beth Gibbons, Earl Sweatshirt, Oneohtrix Point Never & others

• Chris Stapleton & Jelly Roll will headline the 2025 NCAA March Madness Music Festival in San Antonio this April

• ARC Music Festival shared its lineup, which features performances by Jamie xx, Amelie Lens, John Summit, FISHER, Eric Prydz & more

• Boots on the Water has been set for Feb 2026 and will feature Clint Black, Terri Clark, David Lee Murphy & more

• Zac Brown Band, ERNEST & Nate Smith will headline the inaugural Busch Light Summer Music Series

On The Move

New hires, exec moves and other people news

Universal Music UK has reshaped its artist relations team, appointing Shiarra Bell as director, Hannah Lamb as head, and Ali Golembo as manager, all reporting to Rebecca Allen. AWAL has named former Amazon Music exec Aniket Parpillewar as Head of India and South Asia. Sacks & Co. has expanded its Nashville team promoting Catherine Snead to Sr Director and hiring Jessica Vandergriff as Associate. AUS live entertainment, ticketing and tech giant TEG, appoints Geoff Jones as chairman and Brad Banducci as CEO.

Elizabeth Rodda was promoted President of US Latin, Latin America, and Global Society Relations at peermusic. AEG Presents promotes a series of SVPs, see the full breakdown here. Production Resource Group announced a round of promotions within its Corporate Events division, including veteran Matt Hohmann to Sr. Director of Production Services; see who else got promoted here.

Dope Jobs

Interesting jobs in music

• Head of Content at Sofar Sounds in NY

• Account Director (Marketing) at FlyteVu Agency in Nash

• Director, Marketing (Distribution) at Roc Nation in NY

• Fan Account Curator at Prairy (Remote)

• General Manager at Sofar Sounds in London

↗ Find these and 200+ open roles at Jobs by ROSTR