Music news. Beyond the headlines.
Writer
Inés Navarro will happily argue that the best part of a concert isn't always the song everyone came to hear. Sometimes it's the unexpected encore, a spontaneous exchange with the crowd, or a performer laughing through a mistake that nobody minds.
Her musical interests stretch across Latin pop, reggaeton, salsa, bachata, and regional Mexican music. She enjoys following the connections between older musical traditions and newer sounds, especially when artists bring influences from different places into the same recording.
Inés is fascinated by the way a song can take on a life of its own once an audience embraces it. She pays attention to the stories behind performances, the cultural details that get lost in translation, and the musicians who deserve more recognition. She's also convinced that some songs simply have to be experienced in a room full of people before they make complete sense.
Troye Sivan has released “Party,” the second single from his upcoming fourth album She’s the Best, pairing a prominent sample of Madonna’s 2000 hit “Music” with a medieval music video narrated by Sir Ian McKellen. Released September 17, the dance track arrives less than a month before She’s the Best…
Ariana Grande can begin subpoenaing social-media platforms and payment services in an effort to identify the people she accuses of stealing, leaking and selling years of unreleased music. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein granted Grande’s request for expedited discovery on August 19th, clearing her lawyers to seek…
X Corp. and a group of major music publishers have ended the competing federal lawsuits at the center of a three-year fight over copyright, licensing and music used on the social platform formerly known as Twitter. Joint stipulations filed July 16th dismissed the publishers’ copyright infringement case in Tennessee and…
Apple Music has raised subscription prices in the United States and numerous international markets, with Apple pointing directly to rising music licensing costs as the reason listeners will now pay more for the streaming service. The changes took effect July 17th and mark Apple Music’s first major subscription increase since…
Sony Music Publishing has completed its acquisition of Recognition Music Group’s music-rights portfolio, bringing interests encompassing more than 45,000 songs assembled during the modern catalog-investment boom into one of the world’s largest publishing operations. The transaction closed July 15th after receiving regulatory approvals in multiple territories. Sony completed the purchase…
Primary Wave Music has completed its acquisition of Kobalt, closing a transaction worth roughly $1.5 billion that brings one of the music industry’s largest independent publishing and royalty-administration businesses under the Primary Wave umbrella. The deal closed July 7th after clearing regulatory scrutiny, Music Business Worldwide reports. Primary Wave acquired…