Billboard
Spotify’s meteoric ascent gets more attention, but Chinese music streamers are having a strong 2025, too. Netease Cloud Music shares gained 9.8% to 240.20 HKD ($30.60) for the week ended June 13, raising the stock’s already substantial year-to-date gain to 114.1%.
Cloud Music, China’s second-largest music streaming company, now has a market capitalization of $6.4 billion. That’s well behind rival Chinese streaming company Tencent Music Entertainment’s $31.6 billion, yet it ranks ahead of most K-pop companies (HYBE is valued at $9.1 billion). It also rivals SiriusXM’s $7.2 billion market cap.
For its part, Tencent Music Entertainment gained 2.6% to $18.42, bringing its year-to-date gain to 65.2%. This week, the company announced the acquisition of podcast company Ximalaya for $2.4 billion while Nomura raised its price target on the stock to $21.50 from $17.20, keeping its “buy” rating.
Overall, though, music stocks had an unremarkable five trading days. The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) fell 0.2% to 2,922.69, a mild decline considering 14 of the 20 stocks lost value. That’s because many of the most valuable companies with the greatest impact on the index either gained or had small losses. Spotify, the BGMI’s single largest component, fell 0.2% to $710.72, lowering its 2025 gain to 52.3%. Universal Music Group, the index’s second-largest component, improved 2.0% to 27.91 euros ($32.25), bringing its year-to-date gain to 16.7%.
U.S. markets finished down this week after Israel and Iran traded military attacks. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.3% on Friday (June 13) and ended the week down 0.6% to 19,406.83. The S&P 500 dropped 1.1% on Friday to finish the week down 0.4% at 5,976.97. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 posted a narrow gain of 0.1%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index jumped 2.9%. China’s SSE Composite Index dropped 0.2%.
HYBE was one of the week’s best performers after gaining 4.0% to 296,000 KRW ($216.26). The company gained heavy press attention for the culmination of military service for BTS members Jimin and Jung Kook. Six of the group’s seven members have completed their mandatory military service, while Suga is expected to fulfill his service as a social worker later this month. BTS’s return to action could be good for HYBE’s share price. When BTS announced its hiatus in 2022, the company’s stock plummeted 27.5%. Since then, HYBE shares have doubled in value.
Other K-pop stocks didn’t fare so well. SM Entertainment dropped 1.6% while both YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment fell 2.2%. K-pop companies are seeing strong growth in 2025, though, with an average year-to-date gain of 56.9%.
Live Nation, the BGMI’s fourth-largest component, fell 4.1% to $138.18. This week, Wolfe Research increased its Live Nation price target to $168 from $160 and Susquehanna raised its price target to $165 from $155. Most other concert promoters also lost ground. CTS Eventim fell 3.4% and MSG Entertainment dropped 3.7%. However, Sphere Entertainment Co. rose 1.5%, narrowing its year-to-date loss to -10.0%.
iHeartMedia was the week’s greatest gainer after jumping 10.7% to $1.66. The radio and podcast giant tends to have sizable swings — both positive and negative — from week to week. In 2025, iHeart’s share price has posted a weekly gain of 10% or more four times and a weekly loss of more than 10% on five occasions.
Abu Dhabi-based music streamer Anghami dropped 11.1% to $0.48, earning it the week’s largest decline and taking its year-to-date loss to -38.5%. That marks the seventh time in 2025 that Anghami shares have lost more than 5% in a week.
Billboard
Billboard
Billboard
Myke Towers and Quevedo propel “Soleo” to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the song jumps a spot to No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 9.
Their first collab, “Soleao” (which translates to “sunny” in English), was released May 20 on One World International/Warner Records/Warner Latina. It leads the way in its ninth chart week, after an 11% growth in audience impressions, to 9.1 million, across U.S. panel-contributing Latin radio stations in the tracking week of July 25-31, according to Luminate.
Towers claims his 15th Latin Airplay champ, and third consecutively of 2025, after one-week rulers “Otra Noche,” featuring Darell (February), and “Degenere,” featuring Benny Blanco (May).
Further, Towers adds to his satchel of wins as he accomplishes a third trio of No. 1s in a single year. Rewind to 2021, when (after landing two early chart-toppers, for that matter) the Puerto Rican delivered a streak of three straight No. 1s: “Bandido,” with Juhn; “Pareja del Año,” with Sebastián Yatra; and “Bésame,” with Luis Fonsi, that June, August and November, respectively. In 2024, Towers replicated the success with another trio of consecutive No. 1s: “Borracho y Loco,” with Yandel; “La Falda”; and “La Capi,” between that February and May.
Meanwhile, Quevedo makes a comeback to No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He previously led, for four weeks, with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap, in 2022.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Soleao” likewise lifts 2-1 on Latin Pop Airplay. There, Towers tallies a third No. 1 and Quevedo, his first. Further, the song adds a second week atop Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Banda Carnaval Ignites Regional Mexican Airplay: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Banda Carnaval secures its eighth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, and second of the year, as “Ya La Hice” bounds 9-1 with 6.6 million audience impressions, up 47%, in the tracking week. The act’s “Pude” led for a week in March.
“We are deeply grateful to our fans for taking ‘Ya La Hice’ to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart,” Banda Carnaval tells Billboard. “This song represents a very special moment for us, and seeing it connect with people in this way fills us with pride and emotion. Thank you to everyone who has made it their own, to the composers for this great story, and to our team who continues to believe in our music. Let’s go all the way with Síganme Tirando!”
“Ya La Hice” earns Greatest Gainer honors, awarded to the song with the largest week-over-week increase in impressions at the format. Leading the charge during the tracking period are Univision stations, with standout support from KSCA-FM Los Angeles, KLNO-FM Dallas, and WOJO-FM Chicago.
Ice Cube‘s latest movie is off to a slow start on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. According to 15 critics (and counting), War of the Worlds so far has a zero percent rating on the Tomatometer scale, while thousands of moviegoers have given it at 14 percent rating on the Popcornmeter.
One review in particular, from Variety‘s Peter Debruge knocked the film for essentially doubling as a commercial for Amazon, writing, “Even with a Prime subscription, you have to sit through two minutes of ads to watch 90 more of what amounts to a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon,” while another from The Telegraph‘s Ed Power wasn’t really into all the screen time Cube got, saying, “It is silly, shoddy and features far too much of rapper-turned-leading man Ice Cube staring at a computer screen while looking as if he’s working through a reasonably urgent digestive ailment.”
An adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel The War of the Worlds, this version is an Amazon Prime production directed by Rich Lee and also starring Eva Longoria. Cube plays Will Radford, a surveillance expert at the Department of Homeland Security, and most of the movie takes place on his computer screen as he deals with a hacker and an alien invasion while trying to keep his family out of harm’s way.
The synopsis on Prime Video reads as follows: “A gargantuan invasion is coming with this fresh take on the legendary novel of the same name. Renowned actress Eva Longoria is joined by iconic rapper and actor Ice Cube, along with Michael O’Neill and Iman Benson, for a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure that is filled with present-day themes of technology, surveillance, and privacy.”
Cube’s son, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., replied to a tweet on X of a video clip from the movie in which an Amazon Prime delivery person tells Cube’s character to cop a USB from Amazon, so he can deliver it via Prime Air with a drone. “I truly can’t believe this adaptation of War Of The Worlds is actually a real film with a real budget and Ice Cube is actually in it,” a fan posted, with Jackson replying that the movie was “Shot during the pandemic. Released 5 years later.”
Billboard has reached out to Ice Cube’s team for comment.
Cara Lewis Group (CLG) has hired agent Ashley Ventura, who will bring her clients to the independent agency.
“CLG is an obvious fit for her talents,” said founder/CEO Cara Lewis in a statement. “The entire Cara Lewis Group team is thrilled to have her as a valued addition. We look forward to continuing our mantra of artist development, creating stars and long lasting careers.”
Ventura has worked as an agent in the hip-hop and R&B space for more than five years, previously working at MAC Agency. A press release announcing her hire described her as a “proven” leader and “one of the newest, most exciting agents in the industry.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Cara Lewis Group and to continue pushing culture forward alongside such a respected team,” added Ventura. “This new chapter marks an exciting step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to building with incredible artists and creating what’s next.”
Ventura will be bringing a number of talented artists to the CLG roster, including hip-hop icon French Montana and reality TV star and rapper Bhad Bhabie. Her other clients include Atlanta rapper Anycia, Bay Swag, Bktherula, Gashi, K Camp and Kentheman, all of whom are following her to CLG.
CLG’s roster currently includes Eminem, Travis Scott, Khalid, Don Toliver, Clipse, The Roots, Russ, Jill Scott, Ludacris, Ice Spice, BIA and Erykah Badu. Lewis is one of the most successful independent agents in hip-hop, having spent more than 20 years at William Morris as a partner, where she built the urban-pop division before joining CAA’s music department.
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