Notes.fm, a royalty platform founded by Stem co-founder Tim Luckow, has closed a $5 million funding round. Backers include musician Zach Bryan, producer Benny Blanco and talent agent Ari Emanuel, among others.
The company says the capital will go toward continued platform development and scaled marketing as it expands its offering to artists on a global basis.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Apollo-managed funds and affiliates have invested $1.25 billion for a noncontrolling interest in a BMG subsidiary that holds legacy asset-backed securities tied to Concord. The bonds are backed by a catalog of more than one million songs.
The deal underscores continued investor appetite for music catalog-backed debt instruments, with Apollo taking a minority position rather than outright control of the underlying assets.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Gregg Alexander, who wrote and fronted New Radicals before stepping out of the public eye to focus on songwriting for other artists, is bringing the band back. He spoke about the decision after years working behind the scenes since the group’s brief run in the late 1990s.
Alexander said his songwriting philosophy has always centered on longevity over short-term chart success, aiming for songs that endure for decades rather than a single moment. His comments come as New Radicals prepare to re-emerge publicly after a long hiatus.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
The inaugural AI Music Awards will take place in Los Angeles in November, with organizers promising AI-generated acts such as Xania Monet will “perform” on stage during the ceremony.
Details on how the performances will be staged have not been disclosed. The event marks one of the first major industry attempts to formally recognize and showcase AI-generated music acts in a live awards format.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Atlantic Records is releasing an official soundtrack album tied to Grand Theft Auto VI, featuring 34 original tracks from artists including Travis Scott, PinkPantheress, Morgan Wallen and Keith Richards.
Six songs from the collection were issued as singles on September 17, ahead of the full album’s rollout. The project marks a notable link-up between a major label and one of gaming’s most anticipated titles.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Simply Red will headline the inaugural Somerset Sounds festival at Taunton’s Cooper Associates County Ground on August 22, 2027, according to the announcement. The show is billed as the band’s only South West performance of the year and the closing date of their previously announced “Summer Funk ’27” UK and European tour.
Heather Small and Soul II Soul are also on the bill for the debut edition, with more acts to be announced. Ahead of the tour, Simply Red plans to release a live recording of the Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There” on September 24.
Somerset Sounds is a joint venture between Somerset County Cricket Club and promoter Full Fat 360, aiming to establish the venue as a regular UK touring stop. The organizers say the ground already draws more than 150,000 visitors and generates over £20 million annually for the local economy. Presale tickets open September 22, with general sale beginning September 24; prices start at £62.50 for general admission.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jess Burr, jukeboxpr.co.uk.
Dutch DJ and producer Laidback Luke has released a new remix of A.S.H.A.’s 1990 rave classic “JJ Tribute,” out September 18 via Fankee. The reworking follows the track’s inclusion in a 2K26 remix pack that the label says reached No. 1 on both the Music Week Upfront Club Chart and Commercial Pop Chart.
“JJ Tribute” was originally released on Beat Club Records by a trio of Italian producers working out of Milan, and became a UK club staple during the early rave era. A 1995 remix series on Ffrreedom, a subsidiary of FFRR Records, brought the track to No. 38 on the Official UK Singles Chart, and DJ Mag has ranked it No. 48 on its list of the best club tunes of all time.
The release marks Laidback Luke’s contemporary take on the track, adding to a remix and production catalog that has included work with artists such as Daft Punk, Madonna and Calvin Harris. It arrives on Fankee, a label that describes itself as built around fan participation, offering audiences a stake in an artist’s growth through tracked contributions that can translate into reputation and co-ownership.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Valentina Vistoli, valentinavistoli.com.
Trafalgar Releasing and Mercury Studios will release “Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning” in cinemas worldwide beginning October 28 for a limited engagement. The concert film documents the July 5, 2025 farewell performance at Birmingham’s Villa Park, which reunited Black Sabbath’s original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time in more than two decades, and marked Osbourne’s last live show before his death 17 days later.
Tickets go on sale September 24 at backtothebeginning.com. The film features the full concert alongside reflections from musicians who performed at the event, which was hosted by Jason Momoa with Tom Morello as musical director, and included sets from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Slayer, Tool and others, plus guest appearances from Steven Tyler, Sammy Hagar, Billy Corgan and Yungblud, among others, according to the announcement. It will be presented in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound.
The film is directed for screen by Ben Wainwright-Pearce, with the concert directed by Tim van Someren. Mercury Studios co-leads Ken Danquah and Andrea Dunn said the release builds on last year’s livestream of the show, giving fans a new way to experience the performance in cinemas.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Marcee Rondan, sropr.com.
Chicago punk bands Alkaline Trio and Rise Against have released a split single ahead of their upcoming co-headline tour. Rise Against covers Alkaline Trio’s “Private Eye,” while Alkaline Trio covers Rise Against’s “Re-Education (Through Labor).” The tracks are available digitally, and a limited edition 7-inch vinyl is available for pre-order, according to the announcement.
The two bands, who trace their history back to Chicago’s Fireside Bowl scene, kick off a co-headlining U.S. tour on September 22 in Dallas. The run includes stops in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, concluding October 23 in Irvine, California.
Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba and Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath both described the collaboration as rooted in a long personal and musical relationship between the bands, dating to before either group’s formation, according to statements included in the announcement.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Dayna Travers, bigpicturemediaonline.com.
Mount Sinai Hospital’s Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine (LACMM) is launching the Sheila Jordan Trailblazer Award, a new honor to be given annually to a music industry executive. The inaugural recipient is Tracey J. Jordan, daughter of the late jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan, who will receive the award at the center’s Wonderful World Gala on October 13 in New York.
The award is named for Sheila Jordan, an NEA Jazz Master and Blue Note recording artist who died in 2025. According to the announcement, it will recognize executives whose careers reflect the same artistic and cultural impact she embodied.
Tracey Jordan’s career spans roles at Solters/Roskin/Friedman, Arista Records under Clive Davis, Motown, ABKCO Music & Records, MTV Networks and SiriusXM, where she was Senior Director of Talent & Industry Relations. According to the announcement, she worked on career development and publicity for artists including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Tupac, Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, New Edition and the Notorious B.I.G. She currently serves as a Governor of the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter and joined de Passe Jones Entertainment as a consulting producer last year.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Carol Klenfner PR.