Billboard is now live in India, the world’s most populous nation.

Launched in partnership with Other Side Ventures Pvt. Ltd. and headquartered in Mumbai, Billboard India is said to mark a new chapter in how Indian music is documented and celebrated worldwide. 

The new title will be familiar to readers of the flagship Billboard, coupling a deep range of multimedia editorial content with charts, lists, music awards, and more, cut with a domestic flair to reflect the diversity of India’s vibrant music communities.

“India is already one of the world’s largest music markets by volume,” comments Priyanka Khimani, media advisor and driving force behind Other Side Ventures. “Our growth story isn’t from one city or one language. It’s from every corner of this country,”

Legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja is the first cover star of Billboard India. The homegrown screen music icon has composed for 1,500 film soundtracks, and this year celebrates his 50th year in music.

“There couldn’t have been a more superlative name to launch our first cover than Ilaiyaraaja,” adds Khimani. “His legacy, body of work and music superiority speaks for themself. It was our privilege to be able to capture him as he celebrates an important milestone in his career.”

A culturally rich nation, India, of course, is home to Bollywood, a film industry that creates stars who shine globally. Its 1.4 billion population is mostly young, and many are plugged into the country’s music and movie industries. Some 450 million Indians are under the age of 30, and, according to the IFPI, are increasingly captivated with the next generation of Indian music stars that are crossing over from the silver screen.

Experts predict a boom is on the way. Domestic creator collections roared to roughly US$75 million in 2024, according to data published by CISAC data, representing a 42% year-on-year increase. Separately, India now ranks as the world’s 15th largest recorded music market, the IFPI reports.

The new platform has no shortage of content to explore. Billboard India will capture the dominance of film soundtracks, through to the explosive rise of independent artists, a statement reads, and serve as the “definitive voice” of Indian artists across all languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and more.  

Its leadership team is helmed by Preeti Nayyar, who is appointed chief operating officer, and Mohini Chaudhuri as content strategy director. Other key appointments include, Amruta Ramesh (creative director), and Vidya Sivalenka (charts lead). 

“At Billboard, we are committed to celebrating any music ecosystem that includes artists, executives, trends, achievements and stories shaping today’s global music landscape,” notes Mike Van, CEO of Billboard. “Billboard India marks an exciting step in that mission, as the Indian music industry and its global diaspora continue to command growing attention and influence worldwide. With a market as culturally rich and diverse as India, this launch reflects both the scale of the opportunity and the strength of the Billboard India team, whose depth and editorial ambition set a powerful foundation for what’s ahead.” 

Billboard India is headquartered in Mumbai and is now live at billboardindia.com and across social platforms. 

The Canadian government is stepping in to support Canadian music and media amidst debates around the Online Streaming Act.

This morning (June 3), the government announced that it will offer immediate financial support for music, audio and audiovisual media with a $600 million yearly investment. The release says funding will “provide stability and immediate support to Canada’s audio and audiovisual sectors and keep our culture accessible and affordable for all Canadians.”

The mandate is a direct response to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s recent announcement of plans to triple the base contribution rate that foreign streaming companies and Canadian broadcasters with a yearly revenue of over $25 million pay to Canadian Content, potentially raising it to 15%, up from the original 5%. The legislation has become a target of many U.S. politicians during negotiations of the CUSMA trade agreement between the two countries.

“Canadians should be able to see themselves in the films and series they watch and hear their lives reflected in the artists they listen to. That’s why we are investing to support the audiovisual and audio sectors now, while bringing necessary stability as we develop new directions that will ensure Canadian content remains affordable and that our stories continue to shape our identity and how the world sees us,” says Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.

The base contributions would contribute $200 million in increased funding and benefit organizations like nonprofit music funders FACTOR and Musicaction, Canadian Starmaker Fund and Fonds RadioStar, Community Radio Fund of Canada, Indigenous Music Office and more. A spokesperson from the Minister’s office confirms to Billboard Canada that the $200 million in funding will now be contributed by the government.

An additional $220 million will go to Services of Exceptional Importance like the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), The Weather Network and CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel). Another $180 million in additional investment will be determined after consultations with stakeholders in the industry.

The so-called “streaming tax” was originally mandated by the CRTC in its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which was passed in 2023, the first major update to broadcast regulations and Canadian Content in many decades. The implementation would require streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music to financially contribute to fostering Canadian and Indigenous content in the country.

These companies have pushed back against the original contribution rate during a series of court hearings that were held in Gatineau throughout 2025, where more than 150 Canadian companies and groups spoke on the topic of the Online Streaming Act, including ADISQ, FACTOR and Music Canada. The federal investment will account for much of the funding that would have come from the contributions.

“Canadian music is more than entertainment, it is one of the ways we tell our stories, reflect our communities and express who we are as a country,” says Meg Symsyk, president & CEO of FACTOR. “At a time when global platforms are consolidating and have unprecedented influence over what audiences discover and consume, it is more important than ever that Canada continues to invest intentionally in its own creators and creative businesses.”

“This announcement recognizes that a strong cultural sector does not happen by accident,” she continues. “It requires ongoing investment, partnership and a commitment to ensuring Canadian voices can be heard and discovered at home and around the world. Canadian songwriters, musicians and music companies have repeatedly demonstrated that they can compete on the world stage when they have access to the right tools and opportunities.”

Music Canada, which advocates for all three major record labels in Canada, also welcomes the news. The organization had previously filed to intervene in the legal challenge over the CRTC’s decision.

“We champion policies that help Canadian artists succeed at home, reach global audiences, and compete in today’s music streaming marketplace,” says Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada. “Today’s announcement by Minister Miller does that by demonstrating the government’s strong commitment to supporting the cultural sector, while keeping the streaming services Canadians love affordable and recognizing that the tools used to regulate the traditional domestic broadcasting sector won’t work for the entirely different model of streaming.”

Miller has also directed the CRTC to review its recent requirements on Canadian broadcasters and online streamers. The government says it is looking to adjust the Online Streaming Act with new policies that strive for accessibility, affordability and flexibility for streamers, all while pushing diverse local content to the forefront.

The government also plans to invest in Indigenous storytelling, which reflects a 2025 national report by the Indigenous Music Office (IMO) that outlined the importance of promoting Indigenous Music in Canada during this pivotal moment. It is also looking to ensure strong support for French-language programs, which recalls Quebec’s Bill 109, passed in Dec. 2025, to improve the discoverability of French-language content by imposing content quotas on major streaming platforms. Similar to the Online Streaming Act, Bill 109 received major pushback from the Digital Media Association (DIMA), which represents major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon.

“We are encouraged by the government’s clear recognition that championing Canadian culture must go hand-in-hand with protecting affordability, innovation, and consumer choice. By directing the CRTC to review its framework and stepping up with federal investments for the cultural sector, the government has shown a commendable willingness to listen to the concerns of the digital industry, creators, and everyday consumers,” DIMA says in a statement.

Conversely, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) sees the removal of mandatory contributions towards CanCon as detrimental to the growth and visibility of Canadian Content. In a release today, the union says the new $600 million federal contribution “lets billionaire streamers off the hook” and “hands a $600 million bill to Canadian taxpayers.”

“We endured years of debate to finally get an Online Streaming Act that would require billionaire-owned streamers to pay the bare minimum into Canadian culture. We thought we were finally there,” says ACTRA national president Eleanor Noble. “Rather than requiring wealthy media companies to modestly invest in Canada’s cultural ecosystem, Ottawa has chosen to transfer that responsibility to Canadian taxpayers under the guise of ‘consumer protection’.”

The spokesperson from the Minister’s office says that while audio services will no longer have to pay into funds, the government will continue to work with them on non-monetary actions to promote and foster Canadian Content, including measures for discoverability, an updated MAPL definition of CanCon and more.

This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.

Cardi B is asking for gossip blogger Tasha K to refund more than $100,000 in legal fees as a punishment for violating a settlement with talk of the rapper’s love life.

Tasha (Latasha Kebe) is in contempt of court for defying the bankruptcy settlement she signed last year to facilitate the payment of a $4 million defamation judgment to Cardi (Belcalis Almánzar). Tasha, who lost to Cardi at a 2022 trial over outlandish claims about drug use, STDs and prostitution, agreed as part of the repayment plan not to make any more disparaging statements about the star or her family.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott M. Grossman held last month that Tasha violated that deal with social media posts and radio show comments about Cardi’s estranged husband, Offset, and NFL player Stefon Diggs, the father of her youngest child. As a consequence, the judge said Tasha would have to cover the legal fees that Cardi racked up paying attorneys to monitor the blogger’s social media accounts and enforce her compliance with the settlement.

In a Wednesday (June 3) filing, first obtained and reported by Billboard, Cardi’s lawyers now say that the fees come out to $110,115. This is the amount billed by two law firms, Meland Budwick and Moore Pequignot, for more than 100 hours of “time-intensive and legally complex” work.

“The compliance enforcement award category required continuous monitoring of debtor’s social media activity across multiple platforms over a period of more than fourteen months following confirmation, the systematic documentation of violations spanning YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, Threads and TikTok, as well as public radio broadcasts, and the preparation of a detailed evidentiary record for the motion,” write attorneys James Moon and Lisa Moore.

Tasha’s lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment on the fee accounting. The blogger has two weeks to respond in writing to Cardi’s request before Judge Grossman makes a final ruling.

Tasha declared bankruptcy in 2023, a year after a federal jury said she owes Cardi millions for making false and defamatory statements about the superstar on YouTube and other platforms. The blogger claimed she didn’t have the funds for this judgment and that it should be thrown out in the bankruptcy process.

But Cardi, who notably tweeted “imma come for everything …..BBHMM” (“b—- better have my money”) after the verdict, objected and urged the court to keep Tasha’s debt alive. Judge Grossman ultimately ruled in Cardi’s favor and refused to discharge the judgment.

In the wake of that ruling, Tasha filed a plan last February to pay $1.2 million to Cardi over five years and refrain from speaking publicly about her. Under that arrangement, Tasha still owes the remaining balance of the $4 million defamation verdict down the line.

The court approved Tasha’s plan, and relations between her and Cardi remained relatively peaceful for about a year. But that all changed in April, when the rapper’s attorneys alleged that Tasha must be punished for “willful violations” of the non-disparagement agreement.

Then, in May, Cardi filed a new lawsuit against Tasha’s husband, Cheickna Kebe, for allegedly plotting a fraudulent scheme to move around the couple’s assets so they would be shielded from collection after the defamation judgment. Cheickna has not yet responded to the claims in court.  

Weezer is in their golden era.

Ahead of a North American tour this fall, the band announced Wednesday (June 3) their latest Weezer album, aka The Gold Album. The project — the seventh in their color-coded series of self-titled albums — comes out Aug. 21, marking the 16th studio album since they dropped their debut Weezer (Blue Album) in 1994.

With a 10-song track list, the project includes the just-released song “We Might as Well Be Strangers” (featuring Wednesday) — a duet between Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo and Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman — as well as lead single “Shine Again,” which arrived in April. Produced by Klas Åhlund and Kenneth Blume, formerly known as Kenny Beats, the project is meant to be “the most violent Weezer album ever,” according to a press release. With songs written by three of the band’s four members, for the first time since their first album, original members Cuomo and drummer Pat Wilson co-wrote a song together.

Between their Blue Album debut in 1994 and August’s Gold Album, Weezer has released five other colorful self-titleds: The Green Album (2001), The Red Album (2008), The White Album (2016), The Teal Album (2018) and The Black Album (2019). The Gold Album will mark the band’s first full-length since 2021’s Van Weezer.

Earlier this year, the band announced Weezer: The Gathering tour kicking off in September with 32 stops across North America with support from The Shins and Silversun Pickups. Weezer also has one festival date in Halifax, Nova Scotia, later this month, on June 27.

See the track list for Weezer (The Gold Album) below:

Say Yes
Shine Again
Don’t Make It Weird
We Might as Well Be Strangers feat. Wednesday
C.E.O.
Hoops
Nowhere
The Show Must Go On
Up in the Clouds
The LA Sound

TMZ pulled up on NFL wide receiver and Cardi B‘s ex Stefon Diggs after a workout to ask about a video that recently surfaced of what appears to be the former couple arguing outside a Maryland coffee shop.

“That’s a beautiful…that’s a talented mother, I love her to death, you know what I’m saying?” Diggs said when asked about the video. When asked if they’re still together, he says: “You have to ask her.”

Diggs was then asked about the argument and he again played it cool, telling the outlet, “I don’t even think that was arguing. You didn’t see me, like, saying anything.” He added: “It’s OK, women get like that sometimes,” after it was suggested that he “seemed cool, while she didn’t.” However, when asked if they were good, he replied that they were “great.”

TMZ then moved on to ask Diggs about the apparent paternity test Offset filed that was denied by a judge, and again, the NFL free agent remained coy about the situation. “I mean, I don’t know. I didn’t see anything,” he answered. “I’m not online too much, sorry. I don’t spend too much time online, bro. I just be at the track or at the gym working out. Anything else?”

Well, of course, you know there was, so the convo moved onto if he was going to eventually play for his hometown Washington Commanders. “I don’t know, man. I’m open to everything,” the former New England Patriot said. “We’ll see. Any more questions?”

You bet there was. Stef was then asked if Cardi would be pulling up to his annual Diggs Day free youth football camp, and again he brushed the question off in a respectful manner. “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her, big guy,” he answered with a smile. “A lot of things that are personal, I keep personal, but I understand where you’re coming from.”

Finally, he was asked if fans can expect him on the field this upcoming season. “That’s why I’m just working out. That’s why I’m getting off the track right now,” the All-Pro receiver replied. “Always gotta stay ready. You have a blessed day, all right?”

Shortly after the video went viral, Cardi took to X and blamed the exchange on simply needing something to eat. “Sometimes I forget I’m a celebrity … damn y’all ain’t never cuss your babydad out when you hungry?”

Billboard reached out to both Stefon and Cardi’s teams for comment.

Cardi B and Diggs were first rumored to be dating in late 2024 following her split from ex-husband Offset. They made their first public outing in May 2025 courtside at a Knicks game and revealed they were expecting a baby in September last year. Their baby boy was born in November, but Cardi seemingly confirmed that they were no longer together as of February this year. The co-parents appear to remain mostly cordial, with Diggs attending Cardi’s Little Miss Drama Tour back in April.

Jessica Simpson celebrated eight years of sobriety in November, and she took a moment to reflect on her journey of overcoming alcoholism during her Monday (June 1) concert in Highland, Calif.

“I didn’t understand all of the traumas that I was holding onto. And it was really painful once I started searching in myself to find what I could reveal,” the singer and fashion designer said. “I became somebody that I was afraid of, somebody I did not know and understand.”

The 45-year-old continued: “I was a mother and I felt I wasn’t being a good role model and it wasn’t until a year later that I realized that the drinking wasn’t numbing my pain, it was actually causing more. It was a crutch that was wasn’t working.”

Simpson provided context about her trials and tribulations to get to this point of sobriety before introducing a new song to perform titled “Give It All Away” during Monday’s concert.

“In all honesty, I’m a work in progress and I celebrate each and every day that I feel alive and in my body and I’m very proud of myself so it felt right to share this song with you,” she added. “I want all of you to know that you should have a little grace for yourself and everything is gonna be okay if you just give it all away.”

The “Take My Breath Away” singer, who’s a mother of three, celebrated crossing eight years of sobriety on Nov. 1. The powerful decision to get back in control came after a drunken Halloween in 2017 where Simpson realized she had to change her ways, which she detailed in her 2020 memoir Open Book.

“8 years ago today I made the choice to confront, to confess and to let go of the self-sabotaging parts of my life that I was choosing,” Simpson wrote to Instagram. “Making that decision allowed me to fully live in the pursuit of God’s purpose for my life. Alcohol silenced my intuition, blocked my dreams and chased my circulating fears of complacency.”

She went on: “Today I am clear. Today I am driven by faith. Both fear and faith are something that we feel and may not see, I’m so happy I chose faith over fear. It was not in the fight that I found my strength, it was in the surrender.”

Jessica Simpson returned to music in 2025 with a pair of EPs: Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 and a Pt. 2 sequel. The former reality TV star is back on the road touring the U.S. with upcoming shows in Bethlehem, Pa., Waterloo, N.Y. and Kettering, Ohio, later this month.