AGP Executive Report

Music & Society: Tina Arena and Kate Miller-Heidke dug into sexism, ageism and power imbalances in Australia’s music industry, tying it to broader accountability conversations. Public Safety Study: A new JAMA Network Open report links fatal car crashes to spikes in in-car music streaming on major album release days. Tour Talk: Kacey Musgraves faced backlash after asking fans to donate to an immigrant children’s rights group as a birthday wish—applause in Chicago, criticism online. New Releases: Julia Jacklin shared “The Hardest Thing,” the third single from her upcoming album The Gem (Sept. 25), with a helicopter-shot one-shot video. Industry Moves: Warner Chappell promoted Gabz Landman to EVP, A&R, while Pulse Music Group signed Erin LeCount to a worldwide publishing deal. Live & Local: Wichita Forever Fest proved grassroots can scale—100+ artists across 10 venues in one day. Tragedy: A Malaysian drummer died after collapsing onstage at Teruntum Rock Festival.

PorchFest Preview: Bluffton’s Play Music on the Porch Day is set for Aug. 29, with local acts like Bonehead & Tayze and indie-folk/rock group The Rail Trails bringing a neighborhood-by-neighborhood soundtrack. Big Tour News: UK emo/hardcore band Basement has announced Wired Tour dates across the UK, Ireland, and Europe for Feb. 2027, with Fleshwater and Béton Armé on support. New Releases & Projects: Drummer/bandleader Jonathan Whitney drops “Cooch’s Bridge: The African-American Presence” on Sept. 4, translating Cooch’s Bridge history into R&B, jazz, and liturgical suites. Local Music Spotlight: Philly Music Fest has revealed its surprise headliner as Gregory Alan Isakov, with Cailoa and Madi Diaz opening on Oct. 12–13. Global Scene: Zimbabwe’s Jacaranda Music Festival Phase 1 lineup includes Jah Prayzah, Feli Nandi, and Msiz’kay, running Oct. 2–4 in Harare. Live Tech Spectacle: TryHard set a Japanese record with a 4,000-drone show at the SBI Fireworks Festival’s 10th anniversary. Music + Public Health: A Harvard study claims major album drops (including Drake and Kendrick Lamar) line up with spikes in fatal traffic collisions.

Album Drop: Aotearoa hip-hop powerhouse JessB announces her new album MATTERS OF THE HEART, arriving Sept. 10, after the heartbreak-fueled singles “Not Today” and “See You There.” Chart Watch: K-pop group Katseye scores its first Billboard 200 No. 1 with the EP Wild (170,000 units), beating Phoebe Bridgers and Stray Kids. K-pop Update: ENHYPEN’s THE SIN : BLISS tops Billboard’s new music fan poll for the week, with the group now a six-member act after HEESEUNG’s departure. Live & Touring: Icelandic rockers KALEO announce their 2027 Australia run, celebrating the 10th anniversary of A/B. Community & Venues: New Orleans music advocates push for investing in musicians and independent venues, not just festivals. Local Scene: Summerfolk 51 returns to Owen Sound with 40+ acts across six stages. Industry Pulse: NSW grants aim to keep struggling music venues alive with upgrades like soundproofing and better audiovisual setups. Pop Culture Crossover: Stewart Copeland’s Wild Concerto turns animal recordings into a concerto, built around hyenas, owls, and monkeys. Loss: Actress Shelley Fabares, known for The Donna Reed Show and Coach, dies at 82.

Hollywood Recognition: Angélique Kidjo became the first African musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrating decades of genre-bending work and crediting Benin and Africa for her sound. K-Pop Charts: ENHYPEN’s “Bloody Paradise” keeps climbing, topping South Korea and overseas charts for a second straight day and pushing past 10M YouTube views. Anniversary Releases: CORTIS marks its debut anniversary with expanded EP “GREENGREEN_playextended,” adding two tracks. Music TV Changes: AND2BLE’s Kim Gyuvin and TWS’s Dohoon step down as MCs of “Show! Music Core” after about a year and five months. Hip-Hop Commentary: 50 Cent says rappers shouldn’t chase relevance after 60, while admitting he’s fine with older artists in R&B. Local Live Music: Bournemouth’s Ripper Fest 2 returns Sept. 12 with 16 bands for Forest Holme Hospice. Theatre & Stage: “Shoshana,” a new biographical musical starring Gal De Paz as Israeli icon Shoshana Damari, heads to the Hebrew Theater in late October.

Local Music & Community: Dayton Porchfest filled St. Anne’s Hill with 55 acts spanning blues, Celtic, country, funk, indie rock, reggae and more, proving the neighborhood can handle big variety and big heart. Live Music Cancellations: Poison frontman Bret Michaels is pulling back after medical issues, canceling his Rose Music Center date and postponing the rest of his 2026 tour for recovery. Music Biz & Legacy: Dale Morris, the Nashville manager who helped shape Alabama and Kenny Chesney’s careers, has died at 89. Big-Stage Moments: Kim Jae Joong returned to KBS2’s “Music Bank” for the first time in 18 years as a solo artist, calling it a fan-made moment. New Releases on the Radar: The Tragically Hip released a new live album, “Live July 22 - August 20, 2016,” tied to their 2016 farewell Kingston run. Chart Watch: Stray Kids’ “THIS & THAT” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending their rare streak of first-place debuts. Touring Updates: lespecial announced a fall/winter 2026 tour stretching into New Year’s Eve.

Legal Clash: Christian metal band Demon Hunter sues Netflix over the “KPop Demon Hunters” title, alleging fan and ticket-buying confusion tied to the streamer’s planned global tour. AI Transparency: Apple Music says it will add “Made With AI” labels later this year, requiring labels/distributors to tag tracks with a material portion created using AI. New Releases: Jennie (BLACKPINK) announces her solo EP Fallen Angel for Aug. 28, with a title-track video landing the same day; ENHYPEN drops mini album THE SIN : BLISS as the next chapter in its storyline. Live Music Buzz: The Cure plays a Manchester hometown-sized headline set and touts anti-scalping ticket steps; Hollywood Vampires (Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry) turns Colchester into a rock party. Local & Scene: Tom Brosseau ends his long-running “Great American Folk Show” on Prairie Public; Guelph Jazz Festival promises experimental-but-accessible programming Sept. 10–13. Metal Watch: Zornheym releases “The Funeral March,” a Chopin-inspired single from upcoming album Descending Into Madness.

Album Reviews: Brandon Flowers leans into country on Thrasher, treating the genre like a homecoming rather than a detour, while The Script’s The User’s Guide To Being Human turns grief and growth into big, direct arena-ready pop-rock. More New Releases: Black Marble’s Life In Small Spaces keeps its synth-pop heart but adds more guitar-forward momentum, and Caitlin Edwards’ Skeletons and Flamingos doubles down on fast, punk-leaning hooks with sharp, funny vulnerability. Classical Spotlight: Peter Donohoe wraps up his Grieg Lyric Pieces journey with Volume 2, bringing the miniatures’ folk spirit to vivid, controlled life. Live Music & Community: Ottawa’s new History Ottawa club opened with a Wallflowers show, and Nebraska’s Pepsi Live Music Series is back with 60+ free acts across the state fair. Industry Watch: Los Lobos settles its Sony royalty lawsuit over the Desperado soundtrack track “Canción del Mariachi.” Legal/Brand Clash: Christian metal band Demon Hunter sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters trademark overlap. Big Pop Moment: Taylor Swift joins Emmy campaign events for The Eras Tour: The Final Show, aiming to preserve the fan “escapism” on screen.

K-pop & J-pop Buzz: ZEROBASEONE kicked off Japan promo for their second EP KaikiLOVE with a surprise Tokyo guerrilla show drawing about 4,000 fans, including a guest piano moment with Fujii Leo. Release Updates: N.Flying pushed their new album from Sept. 1 to Oct. 8 to “improve quality,” while Stray Kids dropped the Spotify-premiered video for “After You” from THIS & THAT. Milestones: NiziU’s best album Portfolio earned Japan Gold certification after topping 100,000 shipments. New Music Drops: EVAN shared a demo for “Going Home” ahead of mini album DEATH OF ME. Controversy: Israeli performers were accused of copying scenes “frame by frame” from Elyanna’s “Ganeni” music video. AI Labeling: Apple Music says it will add visible “Made With AI” style labels later this year, following earlier transparency tags. Touring: Jamie T announced a UK run in December, and Chelsea Wolfe added a London date for her The Dark tour.

Trademark Clash: Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix and AEG Presents in California federal court over a planned tour tied to Netflix’s animated hit KPop Demon Hunters, arguing the “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS” branding will confuse fans and drown out its own name; Netflix says the claims are “without merit.” Pop Speculation: Taylor Swift fans are spiraling over new green “TS” logos, including an Empire State Building glow-up and the caption “WhaTS happening?”, fueling fresh theories about new music. New Releases & Reviews: Phoebe Bridgers’ long-awaited solo return album Lost Weekend is out, with coverage framing it as her most transparent work yet. Live Music: Ledisi brings her Dinah Washington tribute For Dinah to Strathmore, while local writers’ rounds spotlight original songwriting at Albert Music Hall (Aug. 26). Industry/Research: A Harvard/Mass General Brigham study in JAMA finds traffic deaths rose on major album release days—an unsettling new angle on music hype.

New Album Drops: Chicago singer-songwriter Sen Morimoto follows 2023’s Diagnosis with Time Is on Your Side, out Oct. 23 via their own Sooper label, with the woods-set “Overthinker” video and a 9-track tracklist. Pop Culture & Courtroom: Ariana Grande asks a judge to subpoena platforms tied to alleged music hackers behind years of leaks, arguing records could vanish. K-Pop Comeback: ENHYPEN launches THE SIN : BLISS as a six-member group after Evan’s departure, calling it “the best album of ENHYPEN’s career.” Touring & Tech Troubles: Burlesque the Musical cancels more dates, but ATG says the show will continue after Sunderland, moving to Stoke-on-Trent and running into May 2027. Rock Health Update: Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell says his cancer returned after a stem-cell transplant “didn’t stick,” though he’s continuing treatments. Music + Meaning: Sam Smith credits Madonna’s music as a “lifeline” for queer people, saying she personally reached out during the Unholy backlash. Legal Clash: Christian metal band Demon Hunter sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters trademark confusion. Local Live Scene: Greenville’s Swanson’s Warehouse shifts toward private events as staff move to Poe Mill Music, signaling a new chapter for the local venue ecosystem.

Album Update: Queens of the Stone Age teased their next record, Perfecth, with a chaotic “five-finger fillet” video that casts doubt on the rumored Sept. 30 release date. Awards & Industry: Fabio & Grooverider will take home the Innovator gong at AIM’s Independent Music Awards, with the final nominee wave also revealed. Classical Spotlight: WPR’s Album of the Week pairs Dvořák’s “From the New World” with Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances,” framing America through two very different musical lenses. Festival Buzz: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass added more artists to its Oct. 2–4 Golden Gate Park lineup. Legal Drama: Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters, claiming trademark confusion as the franchise expands. Pop Culture: Madonna leads the 2026 MTV VMAs nominations with 11 nods. Global Music Milestone: Angélique Kidjo became the first African musician to receive a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Live & Local: Riverfront Nights’ Aug. 22 closer features “Tennessee Dead,” while Sheridan College’s Aug. 27 “Music on the Mall” brings Lilly Hiatt as headliner.

Hollywood Recognition: Angélique Kidjo became the first Black African to receive a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, celebrating decades of global impact and saying, “Without us, there’s no music possible.” New Releases: Zulu Queens (MaWhoo and Lwah Ndlunkulu) announced their maskandi collaboration album Isithembu for Aug. 28, with lead single “Distance” dropping Aug. 19. Pop Culture + Music: Taylor Swift praised Phoebe Bridgers’ new album Lost Weekend in a birthday Instagram post, calling it emotionally honest and a “triumph.” Legal/Industry: Seattle metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix over “KPop Demon Hunters,” arguing the streamer is using their name as the franchise grows. Live Music & Community: Liverpool Cathedral and Maghull Wind Orchestra will host a free “Celebration in the City” concert with 400+ performers on Nov. 3. Album News: Fontaines D.C. detailed Dopamine Chamber (Oct. 16), leaning into darker, synthetic escapism themes. Touring: Journey’s farewell run continues with a final San Francisco cap in November.

New Album Watch: Fontaines D.C. announce Dopamine Chamber (Oct. 16, XL), led by “Marianne,” with producer James Ford and a darker, more synthetic direction that leans into AI, environmental collapse, political violence, and the need for distraction. Global Honors: Angélique Kidjo becomes the first African musician to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, calling out how “without us, there’s no music possible.” Touring & Live: Ushuaïa Ibiza reveals its Oct. 10 closing party lineup with an 11-hour ANTS takeover and multiple back-to-backs. Local Music Access: Nantucket Music Foundation expands its 44-show summer series at The Muse (375-cap dive bar) with vineyard vines as co-presenting sponsor. Big Legal Drama: C+C Music Factory co-founder Robert Clivillés sues Freedom Williams for $30M over trademark claims and alleged fraud. Safety Study: A JAMA Network Open study links major album release dates to a ~15% rise in traffic deaths, suggesting distracted driving tied to streaming. Chart Buzz: Karol G’s No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Top Latin Albums. Rock News: ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at 77; the band cancels some shows but will play Austin City Limits.

Label/Booking: Wolf Alice are signed to UTA for North American touring, including support dates with Olivia Rodrigo on the Unraveled Tour. New Music Format: Spotify launches “Hometown,” a one-night-only live series sending Jorja Smith, Nemzzz and Beabadoobee back to their roots with community initiatives. Album Rollout: Fontaines D.C. announce fifth album Dopamine Chamber (Oct. 16) and preview “Marianne,” promising “mood-altering” post-punk. Single Drop: Bloc Party share “Pigwig,” the final track from Anatomy Of A Brief Romance ahead of Sept. 11. Industry/Legal: Round Hill Music files copyright infringement lawsuits against Suno and Anthropic over alleged AI training and scraping. Tech & Culture: Reuters reports Hollywood’s microdramas boom as studios chase fast, phone-first serials. AI/Driving Safety: A new study links major album release days with a spike in fatal crashes, raising concerns about distracted listening. Live/Community: Luke Combs extends his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour into 2027 with new stadium dates. Local Music: Hopkinsville’s Aug. 22 downtown block party adds live sets, a car show and Bike Night. Theatre/Adaptation: Death Note: The Musical opens as a mostly faithful, rock-forward manga-to-stage translation.

Broadway on the move: “Frozen” opened in Seoul, bringing Disney’s ice-spectacle to the stage with big vocal moments and projection-heavy set pieces. Musical theater in NJ: “Come From Away” lands at Bell Theater at Bell Works for a Sept. 11 opening run through Oct. 4, marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Pop-soul spotlight: Louis Baker announced his second album, Trouble, for Oct. 9, plus a 9-date Aotearoa tour ending in Wellington. Reggae momentum: Frassdon’s “We Are” is picking up steam after promo stops across Jamaica and the U.S., with new booking calls in New York. Live-music community: Bugs return to Brisbane with two shows in September to launch Head Noise, after bassist Jordan Brunoli shared his terminal cancer prognosis. Industry & culture: Erykah Badu and The Alchemist released “Witch Doctor,” previewing their collaborative project. Loss: EMF keyboardist Derry Brownson died at 55. DJ update: John Summit canceled the rest of his August dates to recharge before a major arena tour.

AI in Pop Hits: Tyga says his AI-assisted synths on “$tarface” are just another studio tool, as generative music keeps climbing the charts and artists stop hiding it. Festival Etiquette: NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” tackles the question everyone’s thinking—are we forgetting how to act at music festivals? Classical Spotlight: The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Nelsons dispute stays in the spotlight, with fresh debate over what the board did (and didn’t) explain. Live Music & Community: Philadelphia Folk Festival returns for its 63rd year with a big, boundary-pushing lineup. Local Scenes: Toronto’s year-round festival culture gets a spotlight, from major events to constant neighborhood celebrations. New Releases/Creative Process: Filipino pop-rock band NEXTONE turns breakup overthinking into the upbeat single “Nagkulang.” Tour News: Blossoms announce major Belfast and Dublin dates ahead of October’s “Songs From The Wedding Cake.” Industry/Business: War Child’s Help(2) lands a Mercury Prize nomination, while its Secret 7” push aims to top £1 million.