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Chris Welz named partner at Secretly Distribution after company’s ‘biggest year ever’

Secretly Distribution (SD) has named its longtime Chief Operating Officer, Chris Welz, as the company’s newest Partner. Welz, who has spent two decades at Secretly, is credited with shaping the independent music distributor’s global physical operations during his COO tenure while launching and developing its digital services and DSP relationships. As Partner, working alongside Secretly…

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Live Nation annual revenues top $25B in 2025, up $2B YoY, with adjusted operating profit of $2.4B

Live Nation Entertainment has posted annual revenues of USD $25.2 billion for 2025, up 9% – or by $2.05 billion – year-over-year. The live entertainment giant has today (February 19) also reported that a record 159 million people attended Live Nation-promoted shows in 2025 (across 55,000 concerts) – up by 8 million YoY. A standout…

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Live Nation says Ticketmaster breakup threat is already over, calls for DOJ settlement

Live Nation has publicly called on the US Department of Justice to settle the government’s antitrust lawsuit against the company and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, arguing that the prospect of a court-ordered breakup is effectively dead. In a statement published today (February 19) — the same day the company reported record annual revenues of $25.2 billion — Live…

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Virgin Music Group completes Downtown acquisition; Pieter van Rijn named COO as Downtown founder Justin Kalifowitz steps away

Virgin Music Group (VMG) announced on Friday (February 20) that it has completed its acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings LLC (Downtown). The closure follows the European Commission’s approval of the deal last Friday (February 13), subject to Universal Music Group‘s commitment to divest Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting business. UMG’s Virgin Music Group first announced the…

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From UMG’s deal with superfan platform EVEN to Live Nation’s $25B in 2025… it’s MBW’s weekly round-up

Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s Weekly Round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s Round-up is exclusively supported by BMI, a global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. This…

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Deadmau5, Armand van Helden, Kygo & More

This week in dance music: Illenium scored his fourth No. 1 on the Top Dance Albums with his latest LP Odyssey. The album comes ahead of his Sphere residency of the same name that begins in early March. “I can’t wait,” the artist recently told Billboard of this residency. “It’s getting to the point where…

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Shakira to Play Mexico City’s Zócalo in a Free Concert

Shakira will end the historic Mexican trek of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour with a bang on March 1, when she gives a free concert at the heart of Mexico City, the Zócalo, where she is set to return after nearly 20 years. The Colombian superstar announced the show on Friday (Feb….

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Bad Bunny’s ‘DtMF’ Number One: Ask Billboard

Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States. Or, reach out on Bluesky. Let’s open the latest mailbag. Hi Gary, Here are several random thoughts, starting with Bad Bunny’s “DtMF”…

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Uketsu Talks ‘Strange Maps’ Topping First Billboard Japan Book Chart

Strange Maps, the latest work by the enigmatic horror-mystery author Uketsu, debuted at No. 1 on the inaugural all-genre list of the newly launched Billboard Japan Book Charts. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Known for his distinctive storytelling style blending prose with an abundance of visual elements including diagrams, drawings, and illustrations, Uketsu…

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‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ 31 Tops Japan Book Hot 100

Taiki Kawakami, Fuse, and Mitz Vah’s Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) Vol. 31 rules this week’s Billboard Japan Book Hot 100, for the chart released Feb. 19. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 is a comprehensive chart combining physical sales,…

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