SYDNEY, Australia — For all the column inches devoted to the resurgence of country, the dominance of pop and the steady strength of rock, it’s dance music that has the place jumping in Australia.

Of the hundreds of music festivals that sprawl out across Australia’s warmer months, roughly one in four pump out dance music — the most popular genre, according to data presented in Soundcheck, published in late 2024 by Creative Australia.

On the streaming side of the story, the IMS Business Report found Australia to be the third-largest market in the world for electronic music, trailing only the United States and Germany. Australians stream, on average, more of the genre than any other nation, the publication’s authors explain. In just one month last year, Spotify revealed Aussie dance cuts were streamed more than 1 billion times internationally on its platform, making the genre the most popular music export from the land down under.

TMRW Music is leading the charge. In one remarkable week in April, the Sydney-based music group, which includes the etcetc label, nabbed 60% of the tracks in ARIA’s Top Australian Dance Singles Chart, including four from FISHER (including the Gold Coast producer and DJ’s collaboration with Tones And I, “Favour,” new at No. 3); the Dom Dolla remix of Puretone’s “Addicted To Bass” at No. 4; and Yes Boone’s “All I Really Want” at No. 7. All six tracks appeared in the overall Top 20 Australian Singles Chart.

A couple of those TMRW tracks also made the leap to the Music Week Club Chart in the United Kingdom: Supafly & Greg Stainer’s “Girls” featuring Ca$h X at No. 16, and Jessi Lowkey x Cristiano Fry’s “I Know” at No. 20.

FISHER went on to collect the highest-selling single award for his track “Stay,” presented April 22 in the artist’s hometown.

The hits should keep coming with PNAU, the Sydney electronic pairing of Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes, whose 2012 collaborative remix album with Elton John, Good Morning to the Night, went to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart — a feat they repeated in 2021 with the remix of “Cold Heart” (with Dua Lipa), which topped charts globally. PNAU will release its new album AHHCade on July 31 via etcetc worldwide, a fresh collection that features the previously released single “Tu Corazon” with Mexican sister act The Warning.

Billboard caught up with TMRW Music Group CEO Tim McGee, etcetc Music general manager Aden Mullens, TMRW Music Group’s head of A&R Chris Fraser and TMRW Music Group senior marketing manager, labels, Lana Howlett, for a closer look at Australia’s vibrant dance space and how the Sydney label group is lifting the tempo.

Broadly speaking, Australian dance music is having a “moment” both here and internationally. What’s behind that?

Mullens: Dance music has become recognized and accepted as part of the mainstream globally. It’s now a multigenerational and multilingual genre, which has had a compounding effect on consumption.

Howlett: The Australian dance acts that are breaking through are not only incredibly talented, they understand how to build culture around their music in a way that feels distinctly local, uplifting, authentic and community-driven. As online platforms such as TikTok, Discord and Twitch amplify these communities, that spirit is reaching the masses in a way we, as an isolated country, weren’t previously able to. That’s now turning connection into momentum.

Fraser: Dance music has always been strong in Australia, whether the broader industry has recognized it or not. The culture, the community, the collaborative nature of the ecosystem — these things have been quietly compounding for years, and what you’re seeing now is part of the payoff.

Dance music has always had to work harder, build its own infrastructure, create its own pathways. And because the Australian market is genuinely tough to break out of and not naturally predisposed to support one-off commercial dance moments, it puts the onus firmly on real artist development and organic growth. The artists who cut through here have usually earned it, and DSPs locally are providing focused support that is helping give projects a platform domestically and on a global level.

And on that subject, what’s behind the success of TMRW/etcetc’s ARIA chart bonanza? Can you identify some special sauce?

Fraser: We’d been working with Puretone for a number of years on ideas to bring “Addicted To Bass” back to life, and when Dom’s version emerged, starting as a bootleg he made for his own stadium show in Sydney, it was one of those moments you hope for but can never plan.

That organic origin gave the record something you can’t manufacture. Luckily, the timing lined up, and working with Dom and [manager] James Fava and the team to bring it to a proper release was one of the most creatively rewarding experiences we’ve had as a team in a long time.

The fact that audiences are responding to it the way they are makes complete sense. It was a special record 28 years ago, and Dom breathed new life into it in a way we’d never imagined. I don’t know if any other artist would have committed as hard as he did to the brilliant bass/fish angle seen in the music video.

Yes Boone is a perfect example of artist development in practice. Three and a half years of patient development, helping him build a real community around his work, before the moment arrived where everything lined up. The way Australian radio got behind the record over summer was genuinely heartening, and that kind of championing from local broadcasters means everything for an artist at his stage. It’s not often you’ll see commercial radio championing a new artist in lock step with triple j, so to see that belief from day one is a moment we don’t take for granted. Now that momentum has started to pick up steam internationally, which we’re actively working to build on. Boone’s a remarkable talent, and audiences finding him here and abroad are recognizing that.

Despite the structural challenges around Australian artists and charts, the broader environment and institutional and government support is probably the best it’s been in a long time, which also makes a real difference. Bodies like Creative Australia are adding much-needed firepower to our ability to push for more meaningful global cut-through on projects, and hopefully, that support continues to grow for Australian artists over time.

Mullens: The wider TMRW team are really humming right now. From sell-out national Ministry of Sound shows, 150-plus unique tours in 2025, alongside 200-plus releases, we are working with a lot of experience and data to propel our artists’ careers, not just in Australia, but globally.

The group nabbed 12 of the top 20 on the ARIA dance chart. How does this rank among the label’s all-time success stories?

Fraser: We haven’t seen success converge like this all at once before, with multiple distinct entries near the top of the charts; that’s just the honest answer. But I think what makes it possible now, beyond the music itself, is that the company is in a genuinely great place operationally. The team is resourced and structured to execute across multiple projects simultaneously, which matters enormously when you have a range of developed and still-developing projects or opportunities all finding their moment at the same time. A few years ago, we might have had the music but not the capacity to maximize it. Right now we have both, and that feels like a meaningful difference.

How are you feeling about the landscape for indie labels here in Australia?

McGee: Twenty-five years in, the landscape for independent labels in Australia has shifted dramatically, particularly as traditional pathways to success evolve and they always will. The cycles of change are getting smaller, but electronic music has proven uniquely resilient. Constantly adapting and finding new ways to connect with audiences.

While the ARIA Singles Chart may not reflect the depth of local talent, the strength of the dance space tells a different story, driven in part by a great ecosystem of local events and festivals that are creating real viral moments for emerging artists who may not be touring internationally. Part of our strength is that we’re not just a recordings company. As the landscape of traditional radio and media changes, we have persevered within our own ecosystem, rather than rely on traditional means of support.

Whether it’s across recordings, agency, events, publishing or management, we have the means to support ourselves when these shifts occur.

For us, it’s an exciting time, and the future looks bright. In addition to our larger artists, we’re focused on developing artists with genuine global potential. Amongst them artists like Djanaba, Carter Walsh, Sumner and Alexa Leary and so many more of which we’re super excited to be working alongside.

A Los Angeles psychiatry clinic that prescribed Xanax to Aaron Carter has settled with the late singer’s family over his 2022 overdose death.

In court papers filed on Tuesday (May 12) and obtained by Billboard, lawyers say Amen Clinics will pay a “confidential sum” as a “full and final resolution” of the wrongful death claims against both the clinic and one of its psychiatrists, Dr. John Faber. The document says the settlement value is “within the ballpark” of the damages Carter’s family could have won from Amen Clinics at trial, which was less than $325,000.

Carter drowned in a bathtub at the age of 34 with drugs in his system. His former fiancée later sued on behalf of their four-year-old son, alleging two doctors overprescribed Xanax to the 2000s teen pop sensation, and that two pharmacies wrongly filled the prescriptions without checking to see if Carter was abusing the drug.

Amen Clinics and Faber have not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. In Tuesday’s court filing, their lawyers maintain that the clinic complied with all standards of care and that Carter’s death was caused not by Xanax, but by the gas he inhaled from canisters of compressed air (known as difluoroethane).

The other doctor and pharmacies sued in the case — dentist Jason Mirabile, Walgreens and a Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy — have similarly argued that the amount of Xanax in Carter’s system was not enough to make him lose consciousness. These three defendants have not settled and are set to go to trial in October.

Mirabile’s attorney declined to comment on the case on Wednesday (May 13). Lawyers for the Carter family, Amen Clinics, Walgreens and Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy did not immediately return requests for comment.

Carter got his start opening for the Backstreet Boys, of which his older brother Nick Carter was a member, in the late 1990s. He later became a teen heartthrob in his own right, and his 2000 album Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It) peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. His next two albums, 2001’s Oh Aaron and 2002’s Another Earthquake, hit No. 7 and No. 18 on the chart, respectively.

Later in life, Carter was open about struggling with substance abuse. The singer did multiple stints in rehab, and he had been attending outpatient therapy in the months leading up to his death.

Real Madrid says it has won the dismissal of a criminal investigation into alleged noise pollution from concerts at Bernabéu Stadium, which has hosted major shows from artists like Taylor Swift and Karol G.

On Wednesday (May 13), the soccer club announced that the Provincial Court of Madrid had issued a ruling “definitively ending the criminal process” that began in 2024 with a legal complaint from local residents in the city’s affluent Chamartín neighborhood.

“The aforementioned judicial resolution clearly and categorically concludes that neither José Ángel Sánchez Periáñez, the club’s general director and member of its Board of Directors, nor Real Madrid Estadio S. L. are responsible for any criminal offense in relation to the concerts held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium,” reads the Wednesday announcement. “Real Madrid expresses its satisfaction with this judicial resolution, which confirms the absolutely unfounded and instrumental nature of the complaint.”

Bernabéu Stadium, which has been home to Real Madrid for decades, underwent an extensive renovation in recent years, with plans to become a major new epicenter for live music. The stadium hosted a series of massive shows in the summer of 2024, including Swift’s Eras Tour and Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito Tour.

In September 2024, however, Real Madrid announced that it would suspend all concerts amid concerns about sound levels from the stadium. Around the same time, a Madrid judge accepted a criminal noise complaint that had been filed by a local residents’ organization called Asociación Perjudicados por el Bernabéu (Neighborhood Association of Those Affected by the Bernabéu), according to the New York Times.

This led to a lengthy judicial investigation, which included court testimony from Real Madrid’s director, Sánchez. Per the Times, Sánchez testified in October 2024 that any noise issues at the stadium were the fault of concert promoters, not the stadium.

This past January, Judge Monica Aguirre de la Cuesta completed her investigation and determined that a trial should be held on evidence of a possible “crime against the environment, in its form of noise pollution,” the Times reported. But Real Madrid appealed that ruling and, according to the soccer club, won a decision from the higher Provincial Court throwing out the criminal case entirely on Wednesday.  

According to Real Madrid, the Provincial Court found that this sort of environmental code issue did not warrant a criminal proceeding. Also according to the club, the court agreed with Real Madrid that concert promoters are the ones who hold responsibility “for ensuring compliance with the decibel limits for ambient sound transmission.”

A representative for the court did not immediately return an inquiry seeking a copy of the ruling. Asociación Perjudicados por el Bernabéu also did not return Billboard’s request for comment.

It is not yet clear if and when Bernabéu Stadium will begin hosting concerts again. The stadium has been undergoing additional construction, including soundproofing, and Real Madrid announced last year that it expected this work to be completed in 2026.

Universal Music Group is expanding its work in the mental health and wellbeing spaces through new partnerships with Amber Health and Project Healthy Minds.

Through a combination of partnerships and programs, announced today (May 13) by the music giant, UMG intends to improve access to care within its creative community.

By partnering with Amber Health, UMG’s artists and songwriters in North America will have 24/7 access to a range of mental health services, including clinical expertise, including crisis response, care planning, and specialized referrals. Also, UMG will work with the organization to provide additional behavioral health support to the music major’s employees in the United States and Canada, which will include access to expanded mental health support and resources. 

Additionally, UMG signs up as a founding member of Project Healthy Minds’ workforce mental health research initiative, becoming the first music company to do so. Through that alliance, UMG cements its commitment to the development of a standardized framework to measure workforce mental health and its correlation with organizational performance, a statement reads. Through a collaboration with academic partners, including Harvard Business School, this project is meant to establish data-driven benchmarks and inform best practices across industries.

“Through our strategic partnerships with organizations like Amber Health and Project Healthy Minds — and our continued investment in groundbreaking programs like Music Health Alliance’s Music Industry Mental Health Fund,” says Susan Mazo, UMG’s chief impact officer, in a statement, “we are working to redesign how our industry supports wellbeing. Our focus is on expanding access to care, reducing stigma, and ensuring that our artists and songwriters, employees, and the broader music community have the resources they need to thrive.” 

The partnership, notes Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer, co-founders at Amber Health, represents “a real shift in how labels support their artists. Together with UMG’s corporate and label leadership, we’re embedding quick access to specialized mental health care directly into the labels’ infrastructure, making it proactive rather than an afterthought. We couldn’t be prouder of this work, or the message it sends to the rest of the music industry.”  

Adds Phil Schermer, founder and CEO, Project Healthy Minds: “Music has always been a vehicle for mental health conversations and now Universal Music Group is bringing that same honesty inside its own walls. When a company of UMG’s reach commits to this, the whole industry pays attention.” 

UMG turned talk into action in February 2025, by partnering with Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance on the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, which provides comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for music industry professionals across the United States. That alliance builds upon the healthcare access program launched by UMG and MHA in April 2021.

Also last year, UMG and Apple Music globally launched Sound Therapy, a wellness collection designed to help listeners reach for clearer focus, deeper relaxation, and better sleep.

Thanks to isolation, travel, late nights and other factors, creatives and the industry professionals that support them are often at the frontline when it comes to mental health issues. The struggles are real. A study by Swedish digital distribution platform Record Union, published in 2019, prior to the pandemic, found that upwards of 73 percent of independent music makers reported the symptoms of mental illness. Separately, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey 2024, released by Australia’s music industry charity Support Act, found that 53.5% of Australian music and creative workers face high or very high psychological distress, with north of 68% citing high cost of living as a major issue.

UMG continues to work with existing longstanding partners including Mental Health Coalition (MHC) to highlight the resources and research-backed ways that music can support mental health. 

Björn Bauer has been named CFO of the newly combined BMG and Concord, it was announced on Tuesday (May 12). Based in Nashville, Bauer will report to Bob Valentine, who has been designated CEO of the combined entity.

Bauer joins from entertainment company RTL Group, which is majority-owned by BMG parent company Bertelsmann. At RTL, where he’s been CFO since 2019, he serves as an executive director and member of the executive committee. In his role there, Bauer “has played a key part in advancing RTL Group’s transformation, including focusing the Group’s portfolio on its largest business units, diversifying its global content business Fremantle and building a profitable streaming business,” according to a press release. He has been involved in RTL deals including its acquisition of Sky Deutschland (GSA) and the sale of RTL Netherlands.

Before joining RTL Group, Bauer had held senior leadership roles at Bertelsmann since 2007, including as executive vp of corporate controlling and strategy and CFO of Relias, Bertelsmann’s U.S.-based online learning provider.

Until the BMG-Concord transaction closes, current BMG CFO Mathis Wolter will continue in his role at the Berlin-based company and support the integration with Concord before moving to a new role within Bertelsmann. Current Concord CFO Kent Hoskins will also continue serving in his role there until the close of the deal, at which point he’s expected to take on another senior leadership position at the combined company.

“Björn brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of delivering strong results through operational excellence and disciplined financial management,” said Thomas Coesfeld, designated chairman of the combined BMG and Concord, in a statement. “We are delighted that he is expected to join the combined company following completion of the transaction and look forward to the impact he will have as we continue to strengthen and grow the business. At the same time, I would like to thank Mathis for playing an instrumental role in shaping BMG’s strategic transformation, and for being a trusted partner to me and the executive team over the past three years.”

“We are pleased that Björn is expected to join the combined company as CFO. His deep financial expertise will be invaluable as the company continues to focus on sustainable growth and long-term value creation after the transaction closes,” added Valentine.

For his part, Bauer said: “As the global music industry evolves, the combination of BMG and Concord will be uniquely positioned to capture new opportunities through its talent focus, entrepreneurial spirit and global scale, supported by continued investments in catalogs and talent. I am excited to join the combined company upon closing of the transaction, a pivotal moment in its growth journey. I look forward to partnering with the teams to drive the combined company’s next phase of growth and support its long-term strategic ambitions.”

A jury says Ye (formerly Kanye West) must pay a six-figure damages award for failing to clear a sample included in an early version of the Grammy-winning song “Hurricane” from his chart-topping album Donda.

The Tuesday (May 12) verdict, which followed a weeklong trial, held Ye and his companies liable for infringing the copyrighted instrumental track “MSD PT2” on an early demo of “Hurricane,” which the rapper played to a stadium of fans at a pre-release Donda listening party in 2021. Jurors said Ye must share a cut of his profits from that listening party, held in Atlanta and streamed live on Apple Music, with the sample’s owners.

The final amount of those damages was not immediately clear. According to Rolling Stone, jurors held Ye personally liable for $176,153 and awarded damages of $176,153, $41,625 and $44,627 against three of the rapper’s companies. If combined, this would make for a total verdict of $438,558.

However, Ye’s team insists that the corporate damages will be folded into Ye’s own liability for a total award of $176,153.

“This is a failed shakedown,” said a Yeezy spokesperson in a statement to Billboard. “Six months ago, they wanted $30 million out of Ye. They got 0.5% of that today.”

The Yeezy spokesperson said the plaintiffs spent millions of dollars in legal fees for this outcome. “The moral of the story? There is a cost attached to thinking you can take advantage of Ye,” added the spokesperson.

A rep for the plaintiffs did not immediately return a request for comment on the verdict.

The lawsuit dates back to 2024, when the producers of “MSD PT2” — DJ Khalil (Khalil Abdul-Rahman), Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease — sued Ye through a business entity called Artist Revenue Advocates LLC. Initially, they were seeking royalties from the commercially successful final versions of both “Hurricane” and fellow Donda track “Moon,” alleging that both songs interpolated “MSD PT2″ without approval.

However, a judge dismissed the bulk of the lawsuit in February after determining that Artist Revenue Advocates owns only the “MSD PT2” master recording rights, not the composition rights. This means that while the company can sue over a sample, it does not have any standing to bring claims over an interpolation.

The judge, therefore, allowed a narrow trial to go forward only on the early “Hurricane” demo, which did include a direct sample, but not the far more lucrative final songs, which only included interpolations. Artist Revenue Advocates plans to eventually appeal the decision in the hopes of restoring the full lawsuit — but in the meantime, the company sought $500,000 in damages from Ye’s listening party profits, encompassing a slice of ticket sales, merch and an Apple Music livestreaming deal.

During the trial, which began on May 4 in Los Angeles federal court, Ye’s lawyers argued that the case was meritless because his team tried to clear the “MSD PT2” sample, but that the four producers intentionally dragged their feet and refused to approve industry-standard splits. They also pointed out that the plaintiffs had already collected some royalties from various publishers.

Ye himself testified in court that he “went through the normal process” to clear the “MSD PT2” sample.” The rapper told jurors that he’s “very generous” about giving credit and royalties to collaborators when it’s due, but lamented, “I feel like a lot of people try to take advantage of me.”

The jury ultimately sided with Artist Revenue Advocates and against Ye. Jurors did not give an explanation for their verdict, as is typical.

This was far from the only copyright lawsuit Ye has faced throughout his career; the rapper has been sued dozens of times over the years for allegedly using unlicensed samples and interpolations in his music. This was, however, the first time he’d taken a legal battle all the way to trial, as he’s historically opted to settle the majority of claims.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a new law Tuesday (May 12) restricting when prosecutors can rely on rap lyrics as criminal evidence, marking the latest legislative victory for opponents of the controversial practice.

At a signing ceremony in Annapolis, Moore formally greenlit the Protecting Artists’ Creative Expression (PACE) Act, a law passed last month that allows authorities to use rap lyrics and other “creative expression” as criminal evidence only in limited circumstances.

Critics say using rap lyrics as evidence stifles free speech by penalizing creative expression, and that it can unfairly sway juries by stoking racial bias against young Black men. As he signed the bill, Moore said hip-hop lyrics had been cited in court more than 800 times, while songs of all other genres combined had been used by prosecutors just four times.

“This is not a coincidence. This is bias,” Moore said. “In Maryland, that ends today.”

Prosecutors have used rap lyrics for decades to win convictions against the people who wrote them. Stars like Young Thug and Lil Durk have both faced recent indictments that quoted their lyrics, as have hundreds of lesser-known and amateur rappers over the years.

Opponents, including prominent voices in the music industry, have waged an increasingly organized campaign to limit the practice, often termed “rap on trial.” California enacted the first-ever legislation on this front in 2022, followed by Louisiana in 2023. Maryland’s new law makes it the third state to pass such a law, with proposed legislation in New York, Georgia and Missouri targeted next.

“Today, Maryland makes history and sends a message that our creativity is not a confession, and our imagination does not belong in an indictment,” said Kevin Liles, the CEO of Warner Music Group’s 300 Entertainment and a longtime advocate on the issue, in a statement Tuesday.

“Lyrics are a powerful tool for personal expression, not a shortcut to criminalization,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, in the same statement. “This legislation helps establish important guardrails that ensure artists’ creativity is not unfairly used against them.”

Like the laws passed in other states, Maryland’s new legislation would not outright ban the use of lyrics in criminal cases and would still allow prosecutors to cite music in obvious cases where it’s particularly relevant. Instead, it would merely require prosecutors to show by a “preponderance of evidence” that the lyrics are worthwhile evidence before they are admitted at trial.

Under the new law, before lyrics and other creative expressions are shown to jurors, judges will be required to rule that the artist intended them as literal statements; that they refer to the facts of the case; and that they are relevant to a disputed fact in the case.

Guy Moot, co-chair and CEO of publishing company Warner Chappell Music (WCM), has been confirmed as 2026’s recipient of the prestigious Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS). He is the first music publisher to be awarded the prize.

Organizers have said the award is in recognition of Moot’s 30-plus year career, “defined by creative vision, a ‘songwriter-first’ philosophy and a lifelong commitment to music’s power to educate, heal, and transform lives.”

The MITS will be presented to Moots on Nov. 9 at a gala ceremony held at central London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, in support of two leading U.K. music charities: The BRIT Trust and music therapy organization Nordoff & Robbins.

“To be the first publisher to receive the MITS Award is a real honour, and one that I hope serves as a celebration of songwriters and the extraordinary value of their music,” Moot said in a statement. “I’ve spent my whole life championing creators and finding the next generation of talent who deserve a pathway in.

“The BRIT Trust has a proven track record of building careers and opening doors for young people who might never otherwise get the chance. And Nordoff & Robbins reminds us why music matters in the first place — its profound ability to reach people in a way that nothing else can. I’m proud to support both, and humbled to receive this recognition.”

Moot will join an illustrious line of previous MITS recipients including both executives (Sir Lucian Grainge, Rob Stringer, Jason Iley, Emma Banks, Michael Eavis and Lucy Dickins) and artists (Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John, Roger Daltrey). 2025’s honoree was Ashley Tabor-King, founder and executive chairman of commercial radio group Global Media & Entertainment.

Moot began his industry journey in retail before transitioning into A&R in 1984 at ATV Music and Chrysalis Records. In 1987, he joined SBK Music Publishing, following its merger with EMI Music Publishing. He rose through EMI’s ranks and by 2003 had been appointed executive vp of A&R for the U.K. and Europe, later becoming U.K. managing director and president of European Creative in 2005.

In 2012, Moot played a central role in navigating the Sony-EMI merger in Europe. Five years later, he was named president of worldwide creative. In 2019, Moot was appointed co-chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music, working alongside Carianne Marshall. The company’s roster has grown to include artists and songwriters such as Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Zach Bryan, alongside catalogues from David Bowie, Madonna, George Michael and Tom Petty.

Toby Leighton-Pope, co-chair of the MITS Award Committee, added: “Few people in our industry have had a career as extensive and influential as Guy’s. His impact reaches far beyond the U.K., making this year’s recognition especially significant. From his early days in a record store to becoming one of the industry’s most senior executives, his commitment to music has never wavered, matched by a depth of experience that truly sets him apart. Congratulations to Guy on this well-deserved MITS Award and on an exceptional career to date.”

iHeartMedia, the largest U.S. radio station and podcast distribution company, saw revenue rise nearly 10% to $884 million in the first quarter — but nearly 20% growth in podcasting revenue wasn’t enough to offset disappointing advertising income.

In its Q1 earnings release on Monday (May 11), the company reported that adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) — a key measure of profitability — fell 11.4% to $93 million in the quarter ended March 31 due to softness in the advertising market and marketing expenses incurred earlier in the year than expected, executives said. Cash provided by operating activities generated $93 million, while free cash flow — what’s left over after operational spending and capital expenses are covered — was negative $114 million.

Facing substantial debt repayments starting in 2028, iHeart executives said they were optimistic that growth in podcast revenue and political advertisements in the second half of the year would help the company achieve its full-year EBITDA guidance of $800 million and $200 million in free cash flow.

Revenue from iHeart’s multiplatform group, which includes its more than 860 broadcast radio stations with shows like The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne Tha God, rose 4% to $493 million. Adjusted EBITDA fell 33% to $47 million on adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.5%.

Revenue from the digital audio group was up nearly 20% to $327 million. That was driven by $180 million from podcasts, a figure that was 27% higher than the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the segment held flat at $87 million from a year ago.

Cash balance for the quarter was $135 million, with the company’s total available liquidity coming in at less than half a billion dollars.

The company forestalled any questions about media reports that it was exploring a merger with satellite media company SiriusXM. At the outset of the Q&A section of the call, the operator said, “Our company does not comment on rumors or speculation.”

A group of municipal and state governments involved in fostering music and entertainment in their respective localities has formed the Association of Music Offices (AMO), it was announced Monday (May 11) at the Music Biz conference in Atlanta. The newly launched national trade group, so far composed of 14 government music offices, community organizations and industry partners, will champion shared resources and best practices for local music ecosystems, according to the announcement.

Governmental founding members consist of the Dallas Music Office, the Huntsville Music Office, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, the New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy, the North Carolina Music Office, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, the Texas Music Office and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture. Other founding members include community-based organizations Georgia Music Partners and Music Export Memphis, and industry affiliates the Recording Academy, Pace Public Relations and Marauder, a marketing and development organization that works with music communities, the press release states.

“Every city has a music scene, but most overlook it as an economic and quality of life driver,” said Matt Mandrella, the music officer for the city of Huntsville, Ala., in a statement supplied to Billboard. “As the country’s first municipal Music Officer, I’m so excited about the team we have launching AMO and even more thrilled to see other regions follow our lead in the future. Together, we have the opportunity to significantly amplify the power of music ecosystems nationwide.” 

According to the announcement, AMO will aim to strengthen music ecosystems nationwide, while also serving “as the collective voice for music office leadership.” What’s more, the organization will share expertise and help foster “long-term economic impact and cultural vitality nationwide” and “reshape how local governments and organizations invest in and sustain their creative economies.”

“It’s exciting to see the Association of Music Offices grow from organic discussions about policy into an organization that has the potential to transform how we support music at the state and local level,” said Reid Wick, the Recording Academy’s director of regional advocacy and member engagement, in a statement.

The AMO’s initial focus, the release adds, will be to establish governance and membership structures for the organization; develop data and measurement frameworks to quantify music’s local impact; build community engagement models for diverse and inclusive music ecosystems; and create a central hub and accessible resource library for engagement toolkits, funding mechanisms, education and other programs.

The announcement ends with an appeal for music offices and allied organizations to learn more about participating in AMO’s first year at www.musicoffices.org.