Category: Music

On July 16, Coldplay’s generally controversy-free Music of the Spheres World Tour rolled through Foxborough, Mass., just south of Boston. A day later, the show had gone viral because of its fan-cam moment gone-wrong. Internet discourse lit up, but the attention also drove listeners to the band’s sprawling catalog, sending streams shooting toward the (sky full of) stars in the days that followed.

In the five days before the show (July 12-16), Coldplay’s catalog received 28.7 million official U.S. on-demand audio streams, according to Luminate. In the five days following (July 17-21), that number surged by 25% to 35.7 million.

The day after the concert (July 17), listens stayed steady, up just 2% as memes spread. The conversation translated to streams more significantly the next day, up 15% from 6.6 million to 7.6 million. That remains the high mark for Coldplay’s streams this month.

Gains are fairly consistent throughout Coldplay’s catalog but are topped by 2005’s “Fix You.” Notably quoted in a widely circulated fake apology from former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, the iconic ballad soared by 34%, from 1.1 million (July 12-16) to 1.5 million (July 17-21). “Hymn for the Weekend” (2015) and “The Scientist” (2002) each bumped by 27%, and this year’s TikTok-resurgent “Sparks” (2000)…well, sparked by 18%.

Coldplay’s catalog has already been a mainstay on Billboard’s charts. Six of the band’s tracks appear on the July 26-dated Billboard Global 200 (based on the tracking week July 11-17), the most recent of which was released eight years ago (2017’s “Something Just Like This,” with The Chainsmokers). Since the band’s most notable streaming increase occurred on July 18, as noted above, chart gains could show on next week’s rankings.

The Music of the Spheres World Tour launched in 2022 and continues through a 10-night run at London’s Wembley Stadium that wraps on Sept. 8. It’s already in the record books as the best-selling tour in history, over 11.7 million tickets so far.

Nicki Shamel has been named head of TuneCore in the U.S., the company announced on Thursday (July 24).

In the role, Shamel will be tasked with overseeing a team focused on artist acquisition, growth and development strategy in the U.S., where the company hopes to make a greater impact. Part of that responsibility will include aligning the Believe-owned platform’s artist success and DSP partnerships teams to serve artists more effectively, and championing its suite of products and services, including TuneCore Accelerator (which offers artists services including marketing and promotion) and its advanced trends and analytics dashboard.

Before joining TuneCore, Shamel served as senior vp at AWAL, where she developed the global commercial partnerships team and led the company’s digital strategy, helping foster the careers of artists including Laufey, Jungle and Little Simz. Prior to that, she worked in international marketing and sales roles at Sony Music for seven years and, earlier in her career, in digital marketing at Primary Wave Music.

Based in New York, Shamel will report to TuneCore’s chief revenue officer, Brian Miller.

“I am honored to join TuneCore at this pivotal moment in its mission to empower and develop independent artists,” said Shamel in a statement. “TuneCore’s commitment to artist development, combined with best-in-class technology and innovative programs like TuneCore Accelerator, is unmatched at propelling the careers of independent artists, and I am grateful to TuneCore’s leadership for trusting me to drive the next phase of the company’s artist development strategy in the US.”

Added Miller, “At TuneCore, we’re doubling down on our mission to not just support artists — but to actively help them build lasting, successful careers on their own terms. The US is the most competitive and influential music market in the world, and it demands focused leadership. As we make artist development a core focus, Nicki brings the expertise needed to connect strategy with impact. Her proven track record of empowering artists makes her the right person to lead this next phase and ensure our teams, services and programs are driving real, long-term growth for independent creators.”

GloRilla has spoken out after being arrested for a pair of felony drug possession charges in Georgia.

The Memphis rapper’s arrest came after law enforcement searched her home following a burglary while Glo was out of town for her performance at the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday (July 20).

GloRilla turned herself in to Forsyth County Jail on Tuesday (July 22), where she was booked on a charge of felony possession of marijuana and a separate charge of possession of a Schedule I controlled substance.

The CMG artist says she doesn’t understand how her home being burglarized could lead to her arrest while she’s not even present. “CRAZY My House got Home Invaded Saturday While I was in Indianapolis performing for the WNBA all star game,” she wrote to X on Thursday (July 24). “Instead of Focusing on finding the Suspects , they focus on some cannabis.”

Glo continued to clear the air: “1. So no I wasn’t  busted 2. My house got robbed 3. I wasn’t home Long story short my house gets home invaded and Im the only one that gets arrested. So that’s tea.”

The suspects fled the scene after being met with gunfire by occupants at Glo’s home, but no arrest warrants have been issued by police.

GloRilla posted a $22,260 bond to secure her release just hours after turning herself in. Glo’s attorney, Drew Findling, slammed law enforcement in a statement to Billboard, calling the arrest “a disturbing window into how warped law enforcement priorities have become.”

Findling concluded with another jab: “This is our tax dollars at work, absolutely unbelievable.”

GloRilla will host her first-ever Glo Bash on Friday (July 25) in her hometown of Memphis at FedEx Forum with performances from Sexyy Red, Rob 49 and Muni Long.

Despite exploring themes of love in her music for years, Ethel Cain says she’s never dated anyone — until now.

While speaking to The Guardian in an interview published Thursday (July 24) — just a couple of weeks ahead of her new album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You — the indie-pop star revealed that she recently began her very first romantic relationship at the age of 27. “Love was always my final frontier,” she told the publication. “I never explored it.”

“I never progressed past the idea of love that I had as a teenager,” she continued, noting that her anxieties surrounding her newfound experiences with romance often made the recording process of Willoughby Tucker difficult — to the point where she would cry every day and beg for the album to feel finished.

“If [2022 album] Preacher’s Daughter was my learning experience of what not to do with trauma and healing, Willoughby Tucker has been my experience of what not to do in love,” Cain added. “The entire Preacher’s trilogy is centered around love. Love lost, love gained, love perverted, love stolen. Love is everything to us. It doesn’t matter what you love or who you love, but that you love something — and that love is what propels you forward every day. For better or worse, I think that is a beautiful thing.”

Dropping Aug. 8, Willoughby Tucker will follow January’s Perverts. Before that came Preacher’s Daughter, which rose to No. 10 on the Billboard 200 this past April after a vinyl reissue — making her the first-ever openly trans artist to reach the chart’s top 10.

The interview comes shortly after Cain released a statement explaining and apologizing for controversial remarks she made many years ago during a period of time she called “shameful.” She also wrote at the time that “transphobic” trolls had resurfaced her past comments as part of a “baseless attempt to assassinate my boyfriend’s character.”

“He will address these claims in his own time on his own terms and I support him wholeheartedly,” she added at the time.

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It’s a great summer to be a shark fan. First, the classic film Jaws celebrated its 50th anniversary last month, and now, Shark Week 2025 is finally here. Splashing on our screens from July 20 through July 26, the popular fish-themed week is packed with must-see content airing on the Discovery Channel. If you have Sling, you can start watching Shark Week right now.

This year’s shark-infested content includes the popular Dancing with Sharks, an underwater dance competition (yes, you read that correctly) between divers and their toothy dance partners. Dancing with the Stars alum Tom Bergeron will host the special. Other great shark-centric content programs worth catching throughout the week include Expedition Unknown: Shark Files, Expedition X: Malpelo Monster Shark, Bull Shark Showdown and Alien Sharks: Death Down Under.

See below for ways to watch and stream Shark Week without cable as well as the full TV schedule.

How to Watch Shark Week 2025 on Sling TV

Shark Week premiered on the Discovery Channel on Sunday (July 20) at 8 p.m. ET/PT and runs until July 26. If you don’t have cable and want to watch Discovery Channel and other cable channels, sign up for Sling TV.

With Sling Blue, there is no free trial, but for only $25.50 for the initial month you gain access to many popular channels, such as Discovery Channel, ABC, NBC, E!, BET, AMC, Bravo, Fox News, MSNBC and others. After the first month, the monthly subscription price rises to $50.99.

Shark Week Schedule

Check out the full lineup for Shark Week below, which starts with Dancing With Sharks and ending with Battle for Shark Mountain on Saturday, July 26.

Sunday, July 20:

8 p.m.: Dancing With Sharks

9 p.m.: Air Jaws: The Hunt for Colossus

10 p.m.: Great White Assassins

Monday, July 21:

8 p.m.: Great White Sex Battle

9 p.m.: Jaws vs Mega Croc

10 p.m.: In the Eye of the Storm: Shark Storm

Tuesday, July 22:

8 p.m.: Great White North Invasion

9 p.m.: How to Survive a Shark Attack

10 p.m.: Black Mako of the Abyss

Wednesday, July 23:

8 p.m.: Expedition Unknown: Shark Files

9 p.m.: Expedition X: Malpelo Monster Shark

10 p.m.: Alien Sharks: Death Down Under

Thursday, July 24:

8 p.m.: Surviving Jaws

9 p.m.: Caught! Sharks Strike Back

10 p.m.: Frankenshark

Friday, July 25:

8 p.m.: Great White Reign of Terror

9 p.m.: Florida’s Death Beach

10 p.m.: Bull Shark Showdown

Saturday, July 26:

8 p.m.: Attack Of The Devil Shark

9 p.m.: Battle for Shark Mountain

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

You can now attend KCON LA 2025 even if you’re not in SoCal by streaming the music festival exclusively through Amazon Music.

The highly anticipated K-pop festival is set to take place Aug. 1-3 in Los Angeles at the Crypto.com Arena. The exciting event will feature a curated lineup of performances by top girl and boy groups like aespa, HxW (SEVENTEEN), i-dle, KEY, MONSTA X, RIIZE, NMIXX, NCT 127, P1Harmony, ZEROBASEONE and many more. You can stream KCON with a subscription to Amazon Prime, which will run you $14.99 a month. You can also just get an Amazon Music subscription for $11.99. That’ll give you that coveted access to Amazon Music so you can tune in to the stream. The stream will also be available on Twitch and Prime Video. This is a must-see for K-pop fans everywhere.

Think of it this way: A single-day pass for the festival starts at $61, while concert tickets can range from $79 to $260 for premium options. You’ll be getting access to the concert for a fraction of the price — no crowds and no waiting around. Just you and the music. Accompanying the three-day stream, you’ll also be able to tune in to special broadcasts of iconic K-pop chart show M COUNTDOWN.

To prep for the occasion, fans can tune in to Amazon Music’s ”K-POP NOW” playlist, which features a curated experience of all of the artists set to perform during KCON LA. You’ve got major bangers like aespa’s “Drama,” SHINee’s “Poet | Artist,” and SEVENTEEN’s “Thunder” that you need to learn fan chants for. Start studying up while you can!

KCON LA began back in 2012 when K-pop first hit the scene in America. The festival has gone strong ever since, offering fans of the popular genre a place to express themselves while celebrating some of the biggest acts in the industry. This year’s lineup features well-established names like NCT 127, P1Harmony, Aespa, MONSTA X, KEY, HWASA and i-dle. You’ve also got less senior acts new on the scene like NMIXX, RIIZE, MEOVV, IVE, Kep1er and CRAVITY who are given a massive stage to perform for new and older fans, giving them the exposure they deserve.

See the full list of performers below:

aespa
ALLDAY PROJECT
Baby DONT Cry
CHOIHOJONG
CRAVITY
HWASA
HxW (SEVENTEEN)
i-dle
IDID
IS:SUE
IVE
izna
JACKSON WANG
JO1
Kep1er
KEY
LEE YOUNGJI
MEOVV
MONSTA X
NCT 127
NMIXX
NOWZ
P1Harmony
RIIZE
Roy Kim
YUQI
ZEROBASEONE