Vol 50 - You don't have to read my mind 'cause I'll tell it to your face

Happy Friday,

We turned 1 🎉 We’re celebrating with ChatGPT x Spotify, UMG beating Drake, No Doubt is coming to Sphere & Dolly Parton is ok!

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 Amber Mark, Not for Radio, Dasha, Khalid, TWICE, Yellowcard, LANY, Jacob Collier, HAAi, Hunter Metts, LAUNDRY DAY, Electric Guest…

♪ Notable singles from Madison Beer, JISOO & ZAYN, Alemeda & Doechii, Oklou, Miguel, Madison Cunningham, Fcukers, Joyce Manor, Jay Som, Shakira, Labrinth…

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

#1 - Amber Mark returns (finally) with her newest project Pretty Idea, and smooth track ‘Don’t Remind Me (feat. Anderson .Paak)’ slides into the 1st spot of the playlist.

#2 - David Guetta, Teddy Swims & Tones And I team up on ‘Gone Gone Gone,’ produced by David Guetta and JORDI.

#3 - Haim (well, Danielle) and Bon Iver reunite for ‘Tie you down’ on the sisters’ deluxe version of I quit.

#9 - María Zardoya of The Marías’ sings a ‘Swan’ song on her album Melt, the debut from her solo artist project Not for Radio.

#15 - FKA twigs joins Oklou on the whimsical ‘viscus’ off the upcoming deluxe version of choke enough.

#16 - Indie pop duo LANY drop new album Soft with NMF track ‘Stuck.’

#21 - Millennial favorites Yellowcard and Avril Lavigne team up on ‘You Broke Me Too,’ produced by Travis Barker and Andrew Goldstein.

#31 - Opening for Tame Impala on their upcoming Deadbeat tour, hotly tipped electronic band Fcukers drop their second single of the year with ‘I Like It Like That.’

#41 - Shakira reprises her voice role as Gazelle on ‘Zoo - From “Zootopia 2.”

#54 - Thomas Day drops his EP kids with ‘pollen’ hitting the big list.

#71 - Jacob Collier breaks from his traditional Djesse Volumes and drops The Light For Days, with acoustic ‘Heaven (Butterflies)’ landing on NMF.

#77 - Argentina’s TINI drops ‘Una Noche Más’ ahead of her 7-date festival FUTTTURA, starting on October 24th.

⭐ #81 - ‘I KINDA LIKE THAT’ new song from TikTok favorites LAUNDRY DAY, who dropped EARWORM, their first LP since signing with indie label R&R a year ago.

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

The Schedule

Notable upcoming releases

Tame Impala, Ashnikko, bar italia, Militarie Gun, The Last Dinner Party, Of Monsters and Men, Sudan Archives, Soulwax, Boz Scaggs, Miles Kane, Nathan Skyes all have new projects expected to come out next week.

PinkPantheress (remix album), Lucy Dacus, Morgan Evans, Madonna (reissue), Sébastien Tellier, Reba McEntire (reissue), Tori Amos, Joyce Manor, Ren Martinez all announced new albums this week.

ICYMI

Industry news that mattered this week

We’re celebrating 🎉 1 year 🎉 of New Industry Friday!

Spotify announced a ChatGPT integration to provide personalized music and podcast recommendations. The U.S Supreme Court will not hear a case against Live Nation and did not offer an explanation why. A judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ Future Ruins film-music festival was canceled a month ahead of its scheduled debut event. Lola Young filed an IP claim in London court against ‘Messy’ collaborator Carter Lang. Andra Day claimed former manager Jeff Evans stole $1.6M, while he claimed that she failed to pay money owed to him. Diddy was sentenced to 4 years in prison; He later got a judge’s approval to participate in the prison system’s drug abuse rehab program while serving the sentence. Nicki Minaj says her upcoming documentary will expose the dark side of the music industry.

Dolly Parton assured fans that she’s doing ok.

Maverick City Music co-founder Chandler Moore sued the company’s CEO Norman Gyamfi for allegedly stealing millions in royalties from him with secret deals and forged contracts. Spencer Elden, the baby from Nirvana’s Nevermind album cover, appealed judges’ 2nd dismissal of his lawsuit against the band earlier this week. Louis Tomlinson said he can’t imagine One Direction reuniting after the death of bandmate Liam Payne. Victoria Beckham’s documentary premiered on Netflix. Saoirse Ronan was reportedly cast as Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopics. Netflix partnered with Epic Games to bring KPop Demon Hunters characters to Fortnite. Britney Spears injured her knee after falling down the stairs. Jack Black signed on to executive produce a doc about 1990s’ LA pirate station KBLT. Gene Simmons is doing fine after being hospitalized on Tuesday from a car crash.

small print

Updates on companies, acquisitions, takeovers and more

• Believe announces new publishing arm: Believe Music Publishing

• HYBE America launches global label division: HYBE Label Service

• Spotify and BMG sign multiyear US direct publishing licensing deal

• UMG has launched its own creator marketing app

• Warner Chappell inks publishing agreement with Rico O Muerto

• Slush Management and companyX form strategic partnership

• New independent agency LOLA. ARTISTS opens in the UK x

• Pinpoint officially launched, securing $2.5M in funding

• AEG signs new deal to power UK venues with clean energy

• Construction begins for two new UK arenas

• Oasiz secures $2.5M to launch its TikTok-meets-Roblox-style UGC gaming platform

• Spotify reveals the steps artists need to take for their 2025 Wrapped promotion

• Audius’ latest feature lets artists create their own crypto tokens

• Top songwriters challenge PRS for Music over high administrative costs

• Hoopr has distributed more than $500,000 in licensing revenue over the past three years

• YouTube partners with TED-Ed to bring music education to schools

Group Chat

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

Exhibit A

BE HEARD, ALEX

Nice one

Yes right ofc

Guess we’ll never know 🤷‍♂️🧱✋

What should Daniel Ek take over?

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Palantir (0%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜️ Raytheon (40%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Boeing (20%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜️ TIDAL (40%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ BlackRock (0%)

The Live World

Tour, festival and other live news

🎸 Biggest tours announced this week: Luke Combs, Rush, Gunna, HARDY, Sheryl Crow, Sudan Archives

EARLY, a showcase by ROSTR in collaboration with Bandsintown, will debut next Thursday in Los Angeles. The lineup includes artists PAMÉ, Kinder, Alex Bone & Bruvvy.

No Doubt announced their 6-date Sphere residency next May, which will make Gwen Stefani the first woman to headline the venue.

Rush announced a reunion tour five years after the death of their drummer Neil Peart. Members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will play 12 shows across 7 cities next Summer.

Live Nation (currently valued at $35B) announced plans to issue $1.3B in convertible bonds to refinance debts and fund general corporate purposes “which may include funding future venues or the repayment or repurchase of certain […] outstanding indebtedness.”

AEG’s ticketing division continues to expand, acquiring a majority stake in Singapore’s leading ticket firm SISTIC, which sells >6.5M tickets annually across the country.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced it will implement the Sphere Immersive Sound system at Radio Music City Hall, debuting with the 2025 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes.

Australia’s national radio station triple j will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a tour across 5 dates at Hobart, Newcastle, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, and Torquay. It will bring a massive, multi-genre lineup showcasing the homegrown music scene.

Live Nation announced plans to build the 18.5K-capacity Lima Music Arena, Peru’s first indoor arena designed specifically for live entertainment.

Post Malone officially opened doors for his Broadway bar Posty’s. He celebrated its opening playing to 30K fans on the busy Nashville street, with help from Dierks Bentley, Lainey Wilson, and Brooks & Dunn.

Cyndi Lauper announced her Vegas residency at Caesars Palace next April and May. Tim McGraw will also take Caesars Palace this December for a limited run during National Finals Rodeo at the Colosseum.

Alan Jackson revealed details for his final concert next June at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.

Tim Montana’s 6th annual fundraiser benefiting Special Ops Xcursion raised >$300K.

🌎 Across The Pond:

• Prague’s Metronome Festival has partnered with Live Nation Czech Republic for its 10th anniversary next year. The collaboration will include relocating the festival to the much larger Letňany Airport grounds, bringing stronger infrastructure and a broader lineup diversity. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is the first confirmed headliner for next year

• Live Nation will take over Belgian fest Pukkelpop, expanding on its longtime collaboration with the 66K-capacity festival

• The Italian Ministry of Culture and trade body AssoConcerti’s report revealed Italy’s live music sector generated €4.5B for the economy in 2024

🎟️ Festival Headlines:

• All Points East will be headlined both nights by Tyler, The Creator next August; other performances include Turnstile, Clipse, Ravyn Lenae, Baby Keem & more

• Fuerza Regida’s frontman JOP unveiled Future, Chief Keef, Saweetie and others will play the 2nd annual Don’t Fall In Love Fest

• New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will return with Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean & Bailey Zimmerman headlining

• Queens of the Stone Age, Neon Trees & The Black Crowes will play Sema Fest, a Vegas experience for music lovers and car enthusiasts

❌ Cancellations:

• The 3rd edition of Rolling Loud Thailand has been cancelled amid allegations facing festival partner More Return PLC just weeks out from the event

• Cody Johnson cancelled all remaining 2025 dates citing a burst eardrum

• Beach Boy founding member Al Jardine rescheduled his Australian tour to 2026 due to scheduling conflicts

• Australian singer Don West cancelled his upcoming US tour the night before his scheduled ACL appearance due to health issues

Fresh Ink

Interesting artist signings

Southern California rock band Alien Ant Farm has teamed up with label Judge & Jury Records. Originally formed in 1996, the four-piece is writing new music and continuing to tour.

Norwegian pop artist Astrid S, known for hits like ‘Hurts So Good,’ signed with Andrew Jackson of Milton Archer for new management representation. The LA-based company’s roster also includes fellow Norwegian Matoma.

Alternative R&B’s serpentwithfeet has found his footing at ATC Management with Fabienne Leys taking the helm. The Baltimore-born artist dropped his GRIP SEQUEL album earlier this year with features from Orion Sun, Mick Jenkins & Ty Dolla $ign.

Continuing on with a decades-long partnership, country singer Vince Gill has signed a lifetime recording deal with MCA. As part of the new agreement, Gill plans on releasing an EP each month for the next year. Who else has signed for a lifetime & is that legendary or not?

Superproducer Mark Ronson & his company Zelig Music locked in a new publishing partnership with Pulse Music Group. Together, the companies signed soulful indie artist Becky And The Birds as the first artist via the new pact. 

After two years of helping guide Tucker Wetmore’s career, Autumn Ledgin has launched her new company, Ledgin Management. The country star spearheads the new roster while Red Light also joins as a strategic partner.

+125 signings on ROSTR this week

On The Move

New hires, exec moves and other people news

Samantha Saturn steps down as Chief Marketing Officer at SESAC Music Group. Arson Theory appoints Bryce Lucien as SVP of A&R, Distribution & Publishing. Amy Latimer named Chief Business Officer for Oak View Group. AWAL has named Arif Mahmud as its new General Counsel and SVP of Global Business Affairs. Isabel Garvey will leave her role as COO of London-based Warner Music UK. Sr. TikTok exec Michael Kümmerle departs after four-and-a-half years. Wasserman appoints Christa D'Alimonte as Chief Legal Officer.

HYBE America has launched its first global division, HYBE Label Service, centralizing distribution, manufacturing, and marketing, with Ryan Hyeong Woo Noh promoted to Chief Business Officer, Mike Rittberg named President of Global Distribution, and Mark Flaherty appointed President of Global Marketing & Promotion.

Good Boy Records doubles down with Virgin Music Group, extending their global distro partnership for a third year and adding Sara Connally as EVP, Head of Sync and Sarah Fein as Head of Label to its executive team.

Grammy and BRIT winning producer Thomas Hull, AKA Kid Harpoon, becomes Abbey Road Studios’ first Producer in Residence. Direct-to-fan music platform EVEN brings on Lauren Wirtzer as COO. Alchemy Artist Services expands team with Eleonore Hoffman as Fan Engagement Manager and Shannon Crowley as Digital Strategy & Marketing Coordinator, while Madison Smith continues to lead creative vision. Tina Crawford has exited the management firm 33 Creative, while Cindy Finke, Director of Media Marketing at MCA, has also left her position. Rachel Wein joins MNRK Music Group as the Sr. Director, A&R. Rebecca Frank, KISS Network Content Director, is leaving Bauer Media Audio UK after more than five years.

Dope Jobs

Interesting jobs in music

• SVP, Marketing Enablement at WMG in NY

• Senior Director, Product Development at UMG in NY

• Senior Manager, Pricing & Ticketing at Wasserman in London

• Merchandising Manager, Live Events & Tour Ops at HYBE America in Santa Monica

• Vice President - Music at TouchTunes in NY

↗ Find these and 315+ open roles at Jobs by ROSTR