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Italy-based music distributor, record label, and services company Artist First has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment-owned artist development company AWAL. Under the strategic partnership announced Thursday (February 19), Artist First will offer local marketing and promotional services to AWAL artists looking to break into the Italian market. Artist First will remain independent under the arrangement….

A federal judge in New York has rejected Live Nation’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice and more than three dozen states that accused the ticketing giant of illegally dominating the live events market. US District Judge Arun Subramanian on Wednesday (February 18) issued a 44-page ruling (read here),…

Sony Music Group France has acquired Spookland, a Paris-based independent record label and publishing company that represents French singer-songwriter Jain. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, although Sony Music noted in its Thursday (February 19) announcement that the deal covers recorded music rights, publishing rights, and Spookland‘s full repertoire. Founded in 2012 by…

Sphere Entertainment, the company behind the Sphere concert venue in Las Vegas, has published its Q4 and FY 2025 financial results. The firm posted revenues of USD $1.22 billion for 2025, up 8% year-over-year. Sphere Entertainment reported an annual operating loss of $229.6 million for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2025, an improvement on…

American salsa musician and activist Willie Colón, who recorded some of the most seminal and influential salsa albums in Latin music, forged a history on Billboard’s charts spanning more than 40 years and counting. As previously reported, Colón died Feb. 21 at age 75. His family announced the news over his social media accounts, stating…

Willie Colón, the iconic trombonist, arranger, bandleader and producer who was one of the architects of salsa, a leader of the genre and one of its most towering names, died Saturday (Feb. 21). He was 75 years old. His death was confirmed in a Facebook post by his longtime manager, Pietro Carlos. “Willie didn’t just…

From Rubén Blades and Marc Anthony to Grupo Niche, Elvis Crespo and Olga Tañón, major figures in Latin music mourned the loss of salsa pioneer Willie Colón, who died Saturday (Feb. 21) in New York City at the age of 75. Blades, with whom Colón formed a legendary duo in the ’70s and ’80s that…

Authorities in Ohio have arrested and charged a former contestant on American Idol with shooting and killing his wife and staging the crime scene to mislead investigators. Caleb Flynn, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder, assault and tampering with evidence. “I just want to take care of my daughters. I’m not a…

HYBE AMERICA’s Nashville operation has undergone a dramatic overhaul. Big Machine Label Group is no more, after the company rebranded its country, Americana, and roots rock division as Blue Highway Records. To lead Blue Highway, HYBE recruited veteran music and entertainment executive Jake Basden as CEO. Basden arrives with a career spanning both the management…

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…