Believe has appointed Viktoria Siniavskaia as President EMEA, a newly created role within the independent music company’s leadership structure.
The move is part of what Believe describes as a shift toward a stronger regional leadership model, placing more decision-making power closer to local markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Primary Wave has struck a partnership with Brian Vander Ark, frontman of The Verve Pipe, covering his publishing and recorded music catalogs. The agreement includes songs Vander Ark wrote for the band, known for its 1997 hit “The Freshmen.”
The deal adds another rock-era songwriter catalog to Primary Wave’s growing roster of acquisitions, as the company continues to pursue publishing and masters rights from established artists.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Raye says ticket touts used AI-driven bots to generate hundreds of thousands of fake registrations for her upcoming Royal Albert Hall show, as 1.8 million people signed up to compete for just 5,000 seats. The presale registration was hosted through fan marketing platform co:brand.
The scale of the bot activity highlights the growing challenge facing artists and ticketing platforms in verifying genuine fan demand, as automated scalping tools become more sophisticated. The incident is likely to renew industry scrutiny of presale safeguards and anti-bot measures for high-demand shows.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
BigHit Music announced Wednesday that BTS’s album ARIRANG has surpassed 5 billion streams on Spotify, a figure the label says puts it roughly 2 billion streams ahead of any other album released in 2026.
According to BigHit, the next closest title is Olivia Rodrigo’s “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.” The label did not release additional details on the album’s chart performance or release strategy.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Summer Walker has filed suit against LVRN, alleging fraud and asking a court to void the 2017 agreement that launched her career. The filing surfaces just days after Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records sued the singer for more than $50 million, according to a report.
The timing suggests the two disputes may be connected, with Walker’s legal team apparently challenging the foundational deal structure that ties her to LVRN and, by extension, Interscope. Details of the fraud allegations and the specific terms of the original contract have not been fully disclosed.
The case adds to a string of high-profile artist-label disputes over contract terms and recoupment, and could have implications for how imprint deals between artists, independent labels and major distributors are structured going forward.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Amsterdam Dance Event has finalized the speaker roster and program for ADE Lab On Track, a three-day talent development academy held at Lab Village in Westergas during ADE week, Oct. 21-25. New additions include Bambii, Daria Kolosova, Djrum and John Talabot, joining previously announced names Moodymann, Grace Dahl, Adam Beyer and Sammy Virji.
Sessions include a DJ set-building masterclass with Kolosova, a live edition of DJ Mag’s “How I DJ” with Djrum, an RA Exchange conversation with John Talabot about his new album as OR, and a production workshop with Bambii aimed at newcomers to the DAW, with FLINTA+ artists specifically encouraged to attend. The program also features a dialogue between Moodymann and Peven Everett and a session with Adam Beyer reflecting on 30 years of his Drumcode label.
The program is part of ADE Lab, the festival’s education and talent-development arm, and is closed to the general public, open only to accepted participants. The announcement coincides with ADE’s 30th anniversary year, with additional programming tied to the milestone expected to be revealed in the coming months.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Nikki McNeill, globalpublicity.co.uk.
Ayra Starr has announced the Starrgirl World Tour, a 20-city run supporting her album Starrgirl, released August 14 via Mavin Recordings/Republic Records. The European leg opens January 20 at Live Music Hall in Cologne and includes stops in Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Zurich and Brussels before wrapping in London on February 2. The tour then moves to North America, launching March 18 at House of Blues in Houston and running through Atlanta, Brooklyn, Toronto and Chicago before closing April 14 at The Fillmore in San Francisco.
Before the world tour begins, Ayra Starr is set to perform in Africa later this year, with details to be announced. According to the announcement, Starrgirl debuted at No. 2 on Spotify’s Top Albums Global chart and reached No. 1 on Apple Music’s album chart in 15 countries. The label also says the album’s track “Heaven Baby,” featuring Zayn, has topped Shazam’s Global Viral chart and surpassed 43.2 million global streams since its video release last week.
The announcement follows Ayra Starr’s performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where she headlined the halftime show of an NFL International Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars, a first for an Afrobeats artist according to the announcement. Tickets for the Starrgirl World Tour go on general sale October 16, with artist, Verizon, Spotify and Mastercard presales running earlier in the week.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Genesis Salazar, LiveNation.com.
Rodrigo y Gabriela will perform at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 27, a notably smaller venue than the Beacon Theatre, where the Grammy-winning acoustic guitar duo last played in the city. The show follows the release of their new album “OurHome,” recorded and self-produced in Tokyo.
According to the announcement, the duo scrapped earlier material for the project after a period of creative uncertainty and instead traveled to Japan, drawing on the experience to reconnect with the interplay between their two guitars. The album features contributions from jazz pianist Hiromi and former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, along with several Japanese musicians, with visual and thematic inspiration from manga, anime and mythology. Its lead single, “Somos Como Tú,” marks the first time the duo has used lyrics and vocals on a recording.
The album has drawn positive notices including an AllMusic Editors’ Choice selection and reviews from MOJO and Hot Press, according to the announcement. Rodrigo y Gabriela broke through internationally in 2006 and have since performed at venues including Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music Hall and the White House, with the label citing worldwide album sales of more than 1.5 million.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jon Bleicher, prospectpr.com.
Gibson has released a video featuring singer-songwriter Passenger performing his new single “Ghosts” on a Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar, part of a series marking 100 years of the company’s flat-top acoustic guitars. The film, shot at Passenger’s home studio in the South Downs, pairs the performance with the artist discussing his history with the instrument.
“Ghosts” is the third single from Passenger’s upcoming album Wild Love, due November 6. According to the announcement, the artist, born Michael David Rosenberg, has used J-45 models since recording his breakthrough album All the Little Lights, which included the hit “Let Her Go.” The video also features a 1957 Gibson Southern Jumbo that he has used on recent recordings.
The Passenger film is the latest installment in Gibson Europe’s ongoing 100 Years of Gibson Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars series, which showcases artists discussing their connection to the instrument’s body shapes across social media channels. Passenger is also set to support Wild Love with a 2027 tour, with tickets currently on sale.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Libby Coffey, primeprgroup.com.
A$AP Rocky has announced Australian and New Zealand tour dates for his Don’t Be Dumb World Tour, marking his first shows in the region in eight years. The run, promoted by Live Nation, kicks off December 5 at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and includes stops in Sydney, Auckland and Brisbane before closing December 17 at Perth’s RAC Arena. The tour supports his fourth studio album, DON’T BE DUMB.
The announcement follows the European and UK leg of the tour, which the artist’s camp describes as sold out across 25 dates in 19 countries. According to the announcement, the run included the first eight arena shows by a rap artist in Central and Eastern Europe, along with claims of the fastest-selling rap show in Greece and the biggest arena sales for a rap artist in Zagreb, Belgrade and Sofia.
Tickets for the Australia and New Zealand dates go on general sale October 16, with presales for artist, Vodafone and Mastercard members beginning October 14.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Genesis Salazar, LiveNation.com.