Category: Music

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The 59th annual CMA Awards is almost here. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, the ceremony is set for Wednesday (Nov. 19) and will broadcast live on ABC. With a jam-packed lineup of performances, including Keith Urban, Shaboozey, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, this is one night country fans don’t want to miss.

Don’t have cable? We’ve put together a guide on how you can stream the 2025 CMA Awards online for free. Keep scrolling to see who’s performing, who’s nominated, and the best streaming services to use to watch the event live, including DirecTV.

How to Watch the CMA Awards Online for Free

Because the CMA Awards is airing on ABC, there are multiple ways to watch and stream the show live and on-demand – and for free in most cases. If you don’t have access to cable, streaming is the best choice. Fans can stream the award show on DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.

DirecTV

Join DirecTV with a five-day free trial to enjoy your favorite sports and other entertainment. The streaming service’s signature packages feature more than 90 channels: ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV, ESPN2, FS1, SEC, MLB Network, TLC, CBS, USA, Bravo, E!, BET, MTV and more.

A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with ABC — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $49.99 for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterwards). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.

Fubo

FuboTV offers a seven-day free trial when you sign up for one of its plans. You’ll gain access to more than 200 live TV channels — including ABC — so you can watch the 2025 CMA Awards for free. After your free trial is over you’ll be charged the subscription price based on the plan you choose or you can cancel at anytime.

Sling TV

Sling TV is offering new half off off their first month with any of its three packages. You can choose from: the Orange, Blue or Orange + Blue. Rather than choose between the two, you can combine the two with the Orange + Blue package, which will give you access to more than 50 channels, DVR storage and the ability to stream on up to three devices.

Hulu + Live TV

For the most content offerings, you can sign up for Hulu + Live TV and get access to the Hulu library in addition to more then 95 live TV channels (including ABC). The streaming platform starts at $64.99 per month for the first three months of service ($82.99 per month afterwards).

And, for even more programming, Hulu + Live TV now comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited, which gives you everything within the Hulu library, in addition to exclusive content on ESPN for even more sports coverage.

Who’s Nominated?

This year marks the first time that three female solo artists have shared the lead for nominations at the CMA awards. Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson are the top nominees with six nods each. They are followed by Zach Top with five nods; Riley Green and Cody Johnson with four nods each; and Kristian Bush, Carson Chamberlain, Luke Combs, Charlie Handsome, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen with three nods each. For the full list of nominees, click here.

Who’s Performing?

Here are the performers that have been announced (so far) for the 2025 CMA Awards.

Aspen Live, the annual live music industry conference, is returning to Aspen, Colo., Dec. 4-6. Capped at an attendance of 150 people and scheduled around Colorado’s winter activities, the event is the brainchild of longtime touring and event producer Jim Lewi, who heads up production and business development for Embarc Events.

“The first year we did it in 1996, everybody who came was a skier or snowboarder,” says Lewi. “It was dumping snow, and everybody wanted to go out and ski. So I said, ‘Okay, no meetings until after the lifts close.’”

That philosophy continues today, even though only half of the attendees ski or snowboard, according to Lewi. Mornings feature a group breakfast, followed by activities — skiing, cooking classes, nature walks — that are designed to keep attendees networking. Panel discussions happen in the afternoons, followed by cocktail parties and dinners around town.

The conference’s most anticipated panel brings together Dave Marcus from Ticketmaster, Dean DeWulf from AXS and Sean Stewart from StubHub, moderated by manager Randy Nichols. It’s a lineup that Lewi acknowledges could get contentious.

“I warned StubHub before they said yes that it could get rough with people in the room,” Lewi says. “But this is part of our distribution network now. We can fight it, or we can do business with them and try to get rid of the bots.”

Lewi sees the secondary market as an opportunity for rights holders to capture upside they’re currently missing. “If you’re gonna charge more money for my ticket, I want to get paid on the upside,” he explains. “That’s Sean’s job — to have that direct relationship with the rights holders.”

Aspen Live’s programming reflects Lewi’s belief that the live music industry can learn from adjacent sectors. One panel focuses on Latin music, exploring how that market has grown beyond border states to continually expand its audience. Another panel brings together performing arts center executives with venue operators and artist managers.

“How do we utilize their models?” Lewi asks. “They have subscribers, they have mailing lists, they book further in advance. What can we learn from them?”

Perhaps most intriguing is a session featuring representatives from minor league baseball team the Nashville Sounds. “They sell more tickets than Major League Baseball, without the names, without the money,” Lewi says. “How are they so good at engaging fans? They’re selling the same product over and over again.”

What distinguishes Aspen Live is its commitment to honest discourse in an intimate setting. “We want it to be more of a discussion and a dialogue than a monologue,” Lewi says. “People yell out their own thoughts throughout the meetings.”

Lewi notes with pride that the conference has spawned numerous business relationships and partnerships over the years: “A lot of people have created their whole business out of Aspen,” he says.

As the live music industry faces mounting challenges — from affordability concerns to changing consumer behavior — Aspen Live’s intimate, problem-solving approach feels increasingly relevant. As Lewi puts it, the goal is for the industry to find sustainable models in an increasingly difficult market.

“The theme is always, ‘Solve problems and try to learn from each other,’” Lewi says. “I’ve always been very dreamy. I dream that Aspen becomes a place where problems can be resolved.”

Learn more and register at AspenLive.com.

The Game Awards, which celebrates achievements in the video game industry, revealed its 2025 nominees on Monday (Nov. 17). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the way with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in the show’s 12-year history.

This year’s game of the year nominees are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive; Death Stranding 2: On the Beach from Kojima Productions; Donkey Kong Bananza from Nintendo; Hades II from Supergiant Games; Hollow Knight: Silksong from Team Cherry; and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II from Warhorse Studios.

Over the past year, several popular video games and franchises have crossed over into television and film. The following films and streaming shows are nominated for best adaptation: A Minecraft Movie, Devil May Cry, The Last of Us: Season 2, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and Until Dawn.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is The Game Awards’ most nominated publisher in 2025 with 19 nominations across its combined portfolio, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 nods, and Electronic Arts and Microsoft, each with 10. The nominees for The Game Awards are selected by a global jury of more than 150 media publications and creator outlets.

From today through Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. PT, fans will be able to help choose the winners in all categories via authenticated online voting on the Game Awards site.  In China, fans can vote for their favorites on a variety of platforms including Bilibili.

The Game Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, Dec. 11, with awards, world premiere new game announcements, and musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe. The Scottish composer, 49, won a Grammy three years ago for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for Top Gun: Maverick and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmys.

Tickets to attend The Game Awards in-person can be purchased on the AXS site. At press time, available tickets ranged from $251 in the upper mezzanine to $1,506 for loge seats.

This year’s show will stream live on Prime Video for the first time and will once again stream for free across more than 30 digital video platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Steam, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and TikTok Live. The Game Awards 2024 broke viewership records with an reported 154 million global livestreams, up 31% over 2023’s record-setting showcase, which reached 118 million livestreams. In addition, more than 15,000 individual content creators and online influencers co-streamed the show to their audiences, according to show organizers.

The Game Awards is executive produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie Kim. Richard Preuss is the director, LeRoy Bennett is the creative director, and Michael E. Peter is  co-executive producer.

Here are nominees in seven key categories for the 2025 Game Awards. For the full list of nominees, visit the Game Awards site.

Game of the Year

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Hades II (Supergiant Games)

Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)

Best Score and Music

Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong

Darren Korb, Hades II

Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yōtei

Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Best Audio Design

Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

Best Performance

Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yōtei

Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f

Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Best Family

Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

LEGO Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)

LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)

Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)

Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

Best Adaptation

A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)

Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)

The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions)

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)

Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)

Content Creator of the Year

Caedrel

Kai Cenat

MoistCr1TiKaL

Sakura Miko

The Burnt Peanut

YoungBoy Never Broke Again returned to deliver his “Zero IQ Freestyle” over the weekend, and the Baton Rouge rapper didn’t mince words when addressing some of his exes — and possibly sent a few shots in NLE Choppa’s direction.

YB released an accompanying video shot from the comforts of his Utah mansion. The budget-friendly clip finds a possibly intoxicated YoungBoy dropped off at the front door of his house, before continuing to turn up inside. He flexes plenty of cash and jewelry while moving room to room and even wakes up a sleeping friend with a water bath.

The 26-year-old appears to indirectly reply to NLE Choppa, who fired away at YoungBoy with his 2Pac-influenced “KO” diss track, which saw him claim that YB’s a “poison” to the youth. NBA YoungBoy doesn’t even see Choppa on his level, or as someone worth directly addressing.

“I pull up, I’m thuggin’ and I’m clutchin’, you don’t wan’ see me/ Bi—, you playin’, I shoot the Glock/ I shoot the Glock, you ain’t gon’ beat me,” he raps before seemingly later circling back to Choppa. “Bi—, f— you, you ain’t really 5 and healin’ all with real gang hoes/ Respond to him, he ain’t never ran nothin’ down.”

There were other bars that caught fire on social media, such as YoungBoy airing out a former flame for allegedly sleeping with NBA star Kevin Durant and Ken Carson. “My bi— f—ed Kevin Durant and f—ed Ken Carson/ She gon’ tell me after I turned her up, man, you knowin’ I’m finna whoop this ho,” he spews.

2025 has been another solid year for YoungBoy, who’s coming off the release of his MASA album and his first headlining arena tour, which wrapped up in October.

Watch the “Zero IQ Freestyle” video below.

Omarion has spoken about the few years he spent practicing celibacy as part of a spiritual experience.

The B2K singer opened up to Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman on his On That Note podcast and said that as a young man, being celibate was an intense experience because of how he was “spiritually searching for strength and personal control over myself and my body.”

“I did it for three years. Now I look back, I be like, sheesh,” he says around the 45-minute mark below. “‘Cause I love women. I love women in all [their] splendor, friendships, best friends, lovers, all that.”

He continued, “I think that that’s when I was being introduced to a form of telepathy. Feeling closer to someone even when they’re away. I just had the power to say no to anything. Like yo, if I don’t want to do something, I could stop today. And I think that that’s the power of discipline — [it] really turns your life into just another level. … So I think more than anything that I was just really just practicing discipline of self, and it really served its purpose. I always say I’m one of the few guys that I could turn my discipline on and off, and it’s like it’s a cheat code for certain things. … I really know how to focus and commit to something because of that discipline.”

Omarion has been very open about his intense celibacy experience in the past, previously discussing it last summer during a sit-down with the Know Thyself podcast. “‘Do you want to have a career? Or do you want to be out here making babies?’” Omarion said of his peers at the time allegedly asking him. “And we’re like, ‘Huh?’ You know 15, 16, we’re not thinking about that, but it’s a real thing.”

In other news, Omarion caught up with Zoe Spencer & Jerah Milligan at Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players 2025 back in September and said his new album O2 is on the way.

“I’m so excited, I just announced my collaboration with Create Music Group,” Omarion said. “I got a new album titled O2, and I’m ready to give the world some new music…vibes all the way.”

Check out the full conversation below.

Disney has finally dropped the official teaser for its live-action remake of Moana, giving fans a long-awaited glimpse at how the once-animated scenery and characters come to life. What can they except you’re welcome?

Posted Monday (Nov. 17), the minute-long trailer waits until the very end to show Catherine Lagaʻaia — the 18-year-old actress tapped to portray the character originally voiced by Auli’i Cravalho — up close. Instead, it weaves shots of Moana running her hand through the ocean and exploring the scenery of the Pacific Islands as she sings “I Am Moana.”

Dwayne Johnson, who will reprise his role as demigod Maui in the live-action film, is only shown momentarily from the back, leaping off a cliff into the water. “I am the girl who loves my island/ I’m the girl who loves the sea/ It calls me,” Laga’aia belts beautifully, the camera zooming in on her face at the end of the trailer as she grabs onto the sails of a ship.

The updated Moana is set to hit theaters July 10, 2026, a full decade after the original animated version premiered. The film was an immediate sensation, as was its music; the soundtrack spent 62 weeks atop the Billboard Soundtracks chart and reached No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200.

Eight years later, Disney released Moana 2, debuting in the top 10 of several Billboard charts with the sequel’s soundtrack. Cravalho voiced the franchise’s titular character in both animated films, but while she does not reprise her breakout role in the live-action, she is on board as an executive producer.

“When I was cast as Moana at 14, it wonderfully changed my life and started my career,” she said in a 2023 Instagram video shortly after the remake was announced. “I am truly honored to pass this baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent to honor our incredible Pacific peoples, cultures and communities that help inspire her story. And I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representation to come.”

Watch the teaser for the live-action Moana remake below.