In May, Warner Music Group quietly completed a test program that could change the future of vinyl. 

The program, conducted in partnership with the world’s largest vinyl manufacturer, GZ Media, set out to answer one question: can recycled vinyl deliver the same sound quality?

GZ Media collected 10,000 unsold records across artists, titles and pressing plants throughout Europe and first shredded, then repressed them using a range of recyclable materials — from 10-100%. Next, a selection of industry experts were gathered at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios for a blind listening evaluation. Each vinyl passed.

“What impressed me was how consistent the pressings were across the different material blends, showing that sustainability and sound quality do not have to be at odds,” Abbey Road’s mastering engineer, Miles Showell, shared in a statement to WMG.

The recycled pressings weren’t just being evaluated for quality, though, as the project also aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of preprocessing vinyl. Even with the added steps of transport, warehousing, sorting and shredding — all of which impact the product carbon footprint (PCF) — carbon emissions dropped 10% from using recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC, from which vinyl is pressed) compared to fresh materials. 

Now, on Friday (June 26) WMG will double down on its mission with a first-of-its-kind vinyl take-back program, which invites consumers to help recover unwanted vinyl. A group of 11 indie retailers across the country — including in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York — will serve as collection locations before handing the vinyl over to Virterras Materials, a company that helps recycle “complex waste,” such as plastics and rubber. 

“Independent record stores have long served as gathering places for music fans and stewards of music culture,” Madeleine Smith, WMG’s senior director of environmental, social and governance, shared in a statement. “[This is] a vital first step in understanding what’s possible.”

The pilot will run through September. For a complete list of participating independent record stores, see below.

Amoeba Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA)

Antone’s Record Shop (Austin, TX)

Country Line Records (Keller, TX)

Criminal Records (Atlanta, GA)

Easy Street Records (Seattle, WA)

Home Rule Records (Washington D.C.)

Red Zeppelin Records (McKinney, TX)

Rough Trade NYC (New York City, NY)

Spin Me Round (Easton, PA)

Reckless Records (Chicago, IL)

Sweat Records (Miami, FL)

Opening night of Lionel Richie’s Sing a Song All Night Long Tour didn’t go as planned, as the veteran singer called time early after apparently feeling unwell.

The Rock Hall-inducted singer announced an unexpected intermission almost an hour into the show Wednesday night, June 24 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. He didn’t return.

Just moments before, he told the audience he was feeling shaky on his feet while performing one of his uptempo numbers, the ‘80s classic “Dancing On The Ceiling.” Fan-filmed footage shows Richie taking an unscheduled rest on a step, persevering and trying to walk it off, then sitting again. “When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he reportedly said.

Richie is understood to have performed one more song, the ballad “Three Times a Lady,” only this time at the piano.

Following his exit from stage, Richie’s five band members reportedly stayed onstage, while pre-recorded music played softly over the sound system.

Then, at about 10:50 p.m., or 40 minutes after Richie had called for intermission, the title reports, saxophonist Dino Soldo broke the bad news. “Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,” he reportedly told the audience. “He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.”

The 26-date North America tour, with support from Earth, Wind & Fire, is due to continue Friday night, June 26 at United Center in Chicago, IL. At the time of writing, the status of that concert remains unclear.

Richie, now 77, released a new memoir last year titled Truly. In its pages, the veteran singer takes readers through his humble beginnings growing up in Tuskegee, Ala., during the Civil Rights movement, to his adventures as a member of The Commodores and his time spent growing up in 1960s Harlem. From there, Richie shares his highs, like being signed to Motown at just 19 years old alongside The Jackson Five, writing and recording “We Are the World” (a story told in the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop), the fear and excitement he felt going solo, and now, serving as a judge on American Idol.

Richie’s 2025 tour Say Hello to the Hits Tour was a hit, grossing $17.8 million with 118,000 ticket sales across 25 dates in Europe and Las Vegas, according to Billboard’s year-end Boxscore charts. That result was good enough for a top 10 spot among the highest grossing R&B tours of the year, coming in at No. 9.

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) has announced a new round of speakers for its 2026 ADE Pro conference, with Josh Baker, Mochakk, Busy P, and Orbital‘s Paul Hartnoll among the latest additions to the event’s 30th anniversary edition.

The newly announced participants join previously revealed speakers including electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who will serve as ADE Pro’s Guest of Honor, along with Mosimann, Novah and LYZZA. The conference takes place Oct. 21 – 25 in the Dutch capital and is recognized as one of electronic music’s largest global industry gatherings.

This year’s conference program is curated around three central themes: market consolidation and the future of independence, rebuilding the music industry’s relationship with big tech and collective action. The event will also spotlight Brazil, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and sub-Saharan Africa as key growth regions for electronic music.

Brazilian artists Mochakk and Solarce Brothers join the program as part of ADE’s broader focus on the country’s expanding influence in the global electronic music market. Elsewhere, Manchester-based producer and label owner Josh Baker will discuss how artists are increasingly building businesses beyond music through labels, festivals and education platforms.

Ed Banger Records founder Pedro Winter, better known as Busy P, and Because Music founder Emmanuel de Buretel will unpack their long-running partnership and the future of independent music companies. Hartnoll will appear on a panel titled The Ethics of the Sample: Collaboration, Consent and Credit Across Cultures, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Orbital’s seminal 1996 album In Sides.

Other newly-announced guests include SPFDJ, Pegassi, Mathame, Gideon Berger, Sarah Williams and Coldcut co-founder Matt Black. More speakers and sessions for ADE Pro 2026 will be announced in the coming months.

The 2025 edition of the conference featured appearances from British rapper Skepta, plus DJs Hannah Laing, Joris Voorn, Chris Stussy and Armin van Buuren. In an on-the-ground report, Billboard U.K. described ADE as “a diverse and fun-loving hub of creativity in Europe,” noting that Amsterdam was “totally taken over by the 600,000 fans and 10,000 music industry professionals who live and breathe electronic music.” 

Alison Wonderland has no shortage of tales to tell the grandkids. The Australian EDM star etched her name in the history books when, in 2018, she headlined Coachella, becoming the first female DJ to do so in what was her fourth performance in the California desert.

She’s prouder still of her seven-times headlining the “Temple of Wonderland” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. And there’s been headline slots at Lollapalooza’s Perry’s Stage, and appearances at Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Life Is Beautiful. The Sydneysider has shifted more than 800,000 headline ticket sales across her U.S. tours alone. Global streams of her music top 1.1 billion.

On Thursday evening, June 25, perhaps a moment to stand among her finest; Wonderland has been invited to present the match ball for Australia’s final Group D round match with Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup Finals, which kicks off 10pm ET at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

“OH MY GDDD I just got asked by ADIDAS to BRING OUT THE MATCH BALL TO THE FIELD FOR THE AUSTRALIA VS PARAGUAY MATCH TOMORROW,” she writes on her socials. “I’ll wave to you all from the TV. WISH ME LUCK (have been in the studio all day so had to process haha ).”

An overjoyed Wonderland shared several snaps from the studio. In each shot, she’s wearing her Aussie green and gold Adidas track pants. One apparently captures the surreal moment she read the email with the once-in-a-lifetime request.

The Australian Socceroos will hope Wonderland (real name: Alexandra Sholler) is a good luck charm. To progress in the tournament, Australia must win or draw against the South American team. Losing isn’t an option.

The timing is perfect. Wonderland is currently on tour in the United States, the final date of which is set for this Saturday, June 27 at Foam Wonderland in Las Vegas, NV. Then, she takes her show on the road to for performances in the United Kingdom and Europe, getting underway July 10 with the Wonderland Warehouse Rave in London, all of it in support of her fourth studio album, Ghost World (via EMI). 

Speaking with Billboard ahead of her latest tour, Wonderland remarked: “I’m a perfectionist. Someone said something a long time ago, you can tell everyone you put everything into this body of work but at the end of the day the only person who will know if you really went there will be you. It sits with me and haunts me anytime I make anything. I think it’s why I push myself so hard. I think about it all the time to this day.”

Collaborators on her latest album, which dropped in December 2025, include Nina Wilson, better known as EDM producer and artist Ninajirachi, plus DJ Dave and Erick The Architect. Wonderland produced the collection with Dylan Ragland, MEMBA and QUIX. Ghost World was mixed by Tom Norris and Tristan Hoogland and mastered by Dale Becker.

Only two days before it was set to kick off, Country Thunder Alberta in Calgary has been cancelled.

Headliners for the June 26-28 festival were The Red Clay Strays, Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson, with the bill also including Cameron Whitcomb, Tyler Hubbard, Ian Munsick, Mark Chesnutt, Noeline Hofmann and Elizabeth Nichols, among others.

Organizers posted on social media on Wednesday (June 24), “Today, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Country Thunder Alberta 2026,” citing issues with the city of Calgary for the late cancellation. “Active construction, loss of critical infrastructure and a restrictive noise bylaw made safe and enjoyable execution of the festival impossible,” the post stated, noting that the festival had been in contact with the city to resolve the challenges, but have not been able to.

The festival was still touting its arrival on socials as recently as Tuesday (June 23), posting images of the main stage and trucks loading in equipment.

Organizers went into more detail on the festival website. “For several months, Country Thunder has been in direct communication with the City of Calgary in an effort to resolve a series of escalating infrastructure and regulatory challenges tied to the new arena development. Despite sustained advocacy, the following conditions remain unresolved,” the statement said, listing several impediments, including the installation of a water bypass pipe that made sections of the festival site unusable. Scotia Place, a $1.2 billion event center that will be the new home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, is under construction and will open in fall, 2027.

“We do not take this decision lightly,” said Kim Blevins, Country Thunder’s executive director, in a statement on the site. “Our fans travel from across the country to be part of this experience and we owe them an event they can enjoy fully. The city-driven conditions in Calgary this year make that impossible. Proceeding would have meant compromising on not only safety but also the fan experience and that is not something we are willing to do. We want our fans to feel the music, lose themselves in it and leave having had the experience they paid for. The new sound limitations placed on this event would not have allowed us to deliver that experience.”

All fans will receive a full refund.

Country Thunder Alberta is one of five festivals under the Country Thunder banner. The other festivals take place in Florence, Arizona; Clearwater, Florida; Craven, Saskatchewan and Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

Bailey Zimmerman is off the hook after allegedly trashing a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The country artist had been facing federal and criminal misdemeanor charges after he allegedly caused $16,000 in damage to his room, including the television, phone, coffee table and two chairs, as well as marks on the walls and stains on the carpet. According to TMZ, which first reported the news, which Billboard independently verified, the hotel also alleged that the singer charged more than $400 in alcohol to his hotel room, but the tab was not settled.

Charges have since been dropped, and the case dismissed because full restitution was made, reports KRQE, quoting the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.

As previously reported, Zimmerman had been scheduled to perform at an amphitheater at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque on May 27, but according to TMZ, authorities noted the singer seemed to be intoxicated, stumbling and acting hostilely, as well as throwing stage equipment during soundcheck. The outlet reported that Zimmerman left the soundcheck, returned to the resort and canceled the show.

According to the title, Zimmerman was ultimately evicted due to his behavior, but the hotel called police to escort the singer off the premises when he allegedly refused to leave in a courtesy bus.

Zimmerman went on to apologize for the incident. “To the Pueblo of Sandia and my fans: I want to address the events surrounding my canceled show in New Mexico in May and the reports that have followed,” he wrote in a statement, seen by Billboard. “First things first, I want to apologize to the Pueblo of Sandia and to everyone at Sandia Resort & Casino. I never meant for any of this to come across as disrespectful. I am deeply sorry for my actions that transpired. I respect your community and the hospitality and appreciate the opportunity that was given to me to perform on Native Land. I take full accountability for everything that happened and I am sorry to anyone who feels hurt or disrespected.”

The message continued, “To my fans who bought tickets and showed up expecting a performance, I am so sorry, you deserved better from me. I understand that being a musician comes with big responsibilities, both on and off stage, and I know that I fell short that day. I am reflecting on the disappointment and concern that I caused.” 

He insisted he was “taking this legal matter seriously. I am committed to doing the work necessary to learn and grow. Thank you to my fans for holding me accountable and for understanding that I am human. I do not take your support for granted.”

Zimmerman’s next scheduled concert is Thursday evening, June 25 at the Country Drive Music Festival in Ashland, Nebraska.

RÜFÜS DU SOL will carve out another slice of history this week when the EDM act parks at Madison Square Garden, arguably the world’s most famous arena.

The Australian trio will set a new benchmark on Thursday, June 25 with the first of four consecutive sold-out shows — the most by an electronic artist at MSG, and the most tickets sold at the venue by an electronic artist.

RDS has been burning the history books of late. As previously reported, their Inhale / Exhale World Tour is recognized as the highest-selling electronic tour of all time, and multiple record-setter in Australia and New Zealand.

The Sydneysiders completed their 2025 Australia tour last November with the third of three sold-out hometown shows at Afterpay Arena (then known as Qudos Bank Arena), the country’s biggest arena, for 150,000 tickets sold across the country, lifting their overall tally to 750,000 headline tickets for the year.

Along the way, the trio became just the second Aussie act, after AC/DC, and first electronic outfit to headline Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, and played a string of high-profile festival spots, including Chicago’s Lollapalooza. All up, the lads played to some 1.5 million fans worldwide on the Inhale / Exhale World Tour, according to concert promoters Live Nation and independent Melbourne events specialist Untitled Group, which awarded the Sydneysiders with a commemorative plaque.

There will be more massive moments for RDS’ Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt in the weeks ahead, including a headline spot to over 60,000 music fans Saturday, July 4 at Mexico City’s Foro Sol. This current tour has also seen RDS wind their way through a circuit of iconic baseball stadiums, including Chicago’s Wrigley Field (The Cubs), Boston’s Fenway Park (Red Sox), and San Diego’s Petco Park (Padres).

The ongoing North America ’26 trek is in support of 2024’s Inhale / Exhale (Rose Avenue Records / Warner Music Australasia), their fifth studio album, which opened its account at No. 3 on the ARIA Chart, continuing a podium finish for all their recordings in Australia. Along with that swag of historic moments, RDS have won four career ARIA Awards and six Grammy Award nominations, with a win in 2022 for best dance/electronic recording with “Alive.”

Boosie Badazz’s federal probation supervisors say he should spend a year and a half in prison after his most recent arrest for allegedly assaulting someone with a glass hookah.

The rapper (Torence Hatch) was exposed to possible prison time last year after pleading guilty in federal court to illegally owning a gun after earlier felony convictions. In January, however, a judge exercised leniency and sentenced him to three years of supervised release instead.

Now, the U.S. Probation Office says Boosie has “failed to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by the court.” The agency claims in a Wednesday (June 24) petition that Boosie violated his supervised release by allegedly smashing a man in the head with a glass hookah at a Houston nightclub in May.

Boosie is facing a state-level aggravated assault charge for that alleged incident in Texas. Generally, it’s considered a violation of supervised release for anybody to commit another state, local or federal crime while on probation.

The Probation Office further alleges that Boosie broke the rules by making that trip to Texas from his home state of Georgia without permission, as well as by testing positive for marijuana, a federally illegal substance, during a recent drug screening. Because of all this, authorities say Boosie should have his no-jail sentence revoked and replaced with an 18-month prison term.

“His conduct demonstrates a disregard for the court’s authority and unwillingness to comply with the expectations established to facilitate a successful transition to the community,” reads the Wednesday court filing. “Additionally, his history reflects longstanding involvement in a criminal lifestyle beginning at a young age. This lifestyle has continued to expose him to high-risk situations and criminogenic influences, including violence, weapons possession, antisocial peer associations, and illegal substance use.”

The Probation Office says this recommended federal sentence should be consecutive with any possible punishment he receives in the Houston assault case. Boosie is currently out on bail in that matter and next scheduled to appear in court in September.

Boosie denied violating his supervised release in a Wednesday post on X, in which the rapper said he did have permission to travel to Houston, and that he’s been “crystal clean” of drugs since beginning probation.

“IM NOT STUPID. MY probation officer has been fair to me throughout this process. it’s the people over him who have problems with me,” wrote Boosie in the post. “I will not sit back n let these people drag my name. I have several hours of community service completed. I’ve been doing great on federal probation. Me n my attorneys r working to get this other case dismissed.”

Boosie, who’s previously done prison time for drug charges, has faced this current federal case since 2023 for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The details of his arrest were unusual; after local authorities spotted a handgun tucked into Boosie’s waistband while monitoring the Instagram feed of a “known gang member” in San Diego, they used a helicopter to track him in real-time and then found a Glock pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

Following years of procedural ups and downs, the case against Boosie was scheduled for a trial last summer. But in August, the rapper said he would accept a plea deal because he was “tired of fighting.”