Billboard

A bevy of big hip-hop names including Snoop Dogg, Diddy and the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. are facing a new copyright lawsuit claiming two early aughts hits contain an uncleared funk sample.⁠ ⁠ The complaint is brought by a pair of composers who co-wrote the 1980 song "Skatin'" for Brazilian artist Deodato. They allege the instrumentals are sampled on both the 2004 Angie Stone and Snoop track "I Wanna Thank Ya" and "Nasty Girl," a 2005 song off Biggie's posthumous album 'Duets: The Final Chapter' that featured Diddy and Nelly.⁠ ⁠ More details: https://lnkd.in/gbzMSCbj

MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN / CEIPA celebrated the future of music. 🏆 #partner Check out the major category winners and best moments from the night.

🎬 That’s a wrap on Season 2 of Billboard On The Record with host Kristin Robinson! All episodes are available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, so take this break to catch up. We’ll be back in September with a brand new season and even more incredible guests. https://lnkd.in/eks22Die

StubHub is facing a new class action lawsuit after reports revealed that CEO Eric Baker is also the managing partner of a ticket broker that has generated millions of dollars selling tickets on the platform. The lawsuit alleges StubHub marketed itself as a neutral fan-to-fan marketplace while failing to disclose Baker’s financial stake in a major ticket resale operation. StubHub says the relationship was fully disclosed in its SEC filings ahead of the company’s 2025 IPO. Everything we know about the situation: https://lnkd.in/eYYQkURb

Grammy Award-winning band @cagetheelephant has inked a label deal with Big Loud Rock, Billboard has revealed.⁠ ⁠ The group — consisting of Matt Shultz on vocals, Brad Shultz on rhythm guitar, Nick Bockrath on lead guitar, Matthan Minster on keyboards/guitar/backing vocals, Daniel Tichenor on bass and Jared Champion on drums — has also released the new single “Beaches in Tennessee,” marking the band’s first new music in two years. ⁠ Details: bit.ly/4vS4oDT

A new lawsuit claims that BTS's chart-topping smash "Swim" stole key elements from an unpublished demo by three little-known songwriters.⁠ ⁠ In a case that was obtained and first reported by Billboard, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson claim the BTS hit — which debuted at No. 1 on the #Hot100 this spring as the lead track off 'ARIRANG' — has many "substantial similarities" to their own song of the same name.⁠ ⁠ The lawsuit doesn’t name BTS or its members as defendants; instead, it targets their label, HYBE, and its subsidiaries, HYBE America and Big Hit Music Co. It also names the songwriters behind the BTS track.⁠ ⁠ More details: https://lnkd.in/gYmFKgDp

Does all of reggaeton come from a single song? This lawsuit essentially claims it does. 🏛️⚖️ Billboard’s Senior Legal Correspondent Bill Donahue breaks down the unprecedented case.

Billboard video series are part of a new suite of offerings from digital publishers that will be featured on Netflix starting next month.⁠ ⁠ Penske Media's PMX brands — including Billboard, Eater, Indiewire, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety — are all part of the new partnership, which will bring fan-favorite videos to Netflix subscribers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand starting Aug. 3.⁠ These videos will include Billboard‘s “24 Hours With” series, which has welcomed fans into a day in the life of Charli xcx, Travis Scott, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Latto, Grupo Frontera, John Summit, Koe Wetzel and more music superstars. ⁠ More details: https://lnkd.in/gm2w-J_e

Why is 2026 the year of major consolidation in the music industry? Billboard senior finance correspondent Elizabeth Dilts Marshall joins host Kristin Robinson to break down why the industry is seeing such a major shift, explaining that "there is more institutional investor capital in music than any other kind of capital." Check out the full episode of Billboard On The Record here- https://lnkd.in/eks22Die.

As billion-dollar music companies continue to grow through acquisitions and consolidation, the line between "independent" and "major" is becoming harder to define. Billboard's Dan Rys, executive editor of business, joins host Kristin Robinson to discuss why the industry's traditional labels may no longer fit — and why it's time to rethink "what we're even talking about anymore." Catch the full episode of Billboard On The Record here- https://lnkd.in/eks22Die.