Adam Sandler and his wife Jackie celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary in June, so the Happy Gilmore 2 star seems to know a thing or two about marriage. That’s why he was the perfect choice to officiate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding last weekend, according to an unnamed source who spoke to People about the comedian’s pivotal role in the American royals’ star-studded nuptials.

The source told the magazine that Sandler, 59, said “yes right away” to the ask, adding that he was “incredibly honored to be part of such a special day.”

Andy Reid, Kelce’s coach on the Kansas City Chiefs, previously said that Sandler gave the happy couple some “really touching” advice and did a “phenomenal job” as officiant. “He said, ‘Kiss every chance you have, every day,’” Reid recalled. “‘Whether you’re going to bed or going to work or, you know, wherever, go ahead and kiss her.’ And I thought that was, in a simple way, in its simplest form, it really was touching.”

While a rep for Swift confirmed that Sandler led the ceremony at MSG on July 3, to date no other details about what he said to the couple, or what they said to each other, have emerged.

Sandler and his wife celebrated their 23rd anniversary on June 22 — with the actor going all-out with a “Love You Forever” skywriting message for the occasion —  which the source told People made him the “perfect person” to officiate the wedding. “He wasn’t trying to find the perfect words or make it this big production,” the source said. “He just wanted to speak from the heart and pass along a little wisdom that he’s gained from his own happy marriage.”

While Sandler might seem like an odd choice at first, he did share some screen time with Kelce on the set of Happy Gilmore 2, the cameo-filled sequel that featured a hilarious pop-in from the NFL tight end. They appeared to bond on set, with Kelce telling ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show in January of last year that Sandler is “every bit as cool off the screen as he is on the screen.” People noted that the admiration was mutual, as Sandler told Entertainment Tonight in July 2025 that Kelce was such a “gentle, nice guy and funny as hell,” likening him to some of the guys he grew up with.

“When I was with Travis, it reminded me of my buddies in high school and just being able to laugh and say the things you want to say,” Sandler said.

Even before they bonded on set, Sandler made Kelce sweat a bit in August 2024 when he went on the Super Bowl champ’s New Heights podcast and they discussed the baller’s romance with the world’s biggest pop star. Kelce noted at the time that Sandler had brought his daughters to the Eras Tour concert film premiere in October 2023 in Los Angeles, to which the comedian responded, “what a girl!“

Kelce had to agree, saying, “you know it, man. Best performer out here.” Sandler described how Swift’s music “means so much to our house,” saying that when his two daughters, Sadie and Sunny, were younger, they knew every word to every one of Swift’s songs. “I love what she had to say … what she meant to young girls, what she means to women, what she means to guys doing the right thing in life,” said Sandler, adding that Swift once “took her time” interacting with his daughters on the set of Saturday Night Live. “She just floors my family.” 

And though he’s been on stage and screen for nearly four decades, at the time Sandler admitted that he gets nervous around Swift because he doesn’t want to “f–king blow it for my kids and say something stupid” around her. Kelce assuaged his fears by assuring the Sand Man that Swift was “so grateful” for the actor and his family attending her premiere.

When Sandler gushed about the couple’s high-profile romance — which began in late summer 2023 — saying that his family was “high-fiving” anytime they saw Swift laughing with Kelce,” the football legend admitted, “you got me sweating over here.”

As Warner Music Group (WMG) begins to integrate distributor Revelator after acquiring it earlier this year, the company announced that it’s expanding Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), the company’s independent and label services division, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Along with the expansion, WMG announced that Howard Corner will take on the newly created role of head of ADA, EMEA.

Corner has led ADA UK since 2013 and will remain in his current position of managing director of the division following the expansion. He reports to Simon Robson, president of recorded music, EMEA, and is based out of the company’s London offices.

“The EMEA landscape is teeming with brilliant independent talent and entrepreneurial labels looking for a partner that can scale their vision globally without sacrificing local agility,” Corner said in a statement. “I’m incredibly excited to step into this regional role and work alongside our exceptional territory heads to elevate ADA’s offering. By integrating Revelator’s game-changing technology and officially welcoming ADA x Africori and ADA x Qanawat Music into the family, we’re creating an unmatched, tech-driven partner for the independent community.”

Israel-based Revelator was founded in 2012 by CEO Bruno Guez; the company also has a significant presence in Asia. WMG said it intends to use the company’s technology for all of its labels and ADA. Fully integrating that technology will likely take years.

Major labels have increasingly looked to acquire indie distributors, whose market share has grown in recent years. In February, Universal finalized its acquisition of Downtown Music for $775 million, while WMG acquired Revelator in April after seeking to acquire a distribution company for two years. It had previously looked into acquiring Believe and also considered building a distributor of its own before backing away from both. Back in 2015, Sony Music completed its buyout of The Orchard, the current market share leader among distributors in the U.S.

“To supercharge the momentum of our artist and label services business, we’re bringing in a seasoned leader who deeply understands the nuances of the indie ecosystem,” Robson said of Corner’s new role. “Howard’s proven track record, fierce commercial drive and profound respect for independent music culture make him the ideal exec to support our local teams and drive regional growth. Armed with Revelator’s cutting-edge platform, Howard and the team are perfectly positioned to redefine what a global music partner can look like.”

Three years after Elton John’s completed his blockbuster final world tour, the British pop legend returns for one last lap.

The Rocket Man announces two dates at Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte on Oct. 2 and 3, bringing to an end his years-long Farewell Yellow Brick Road trek.

Presented by AEG Presents, Cardenas Marketing Network, and Enso Music, the Mexico shows are “designed as a heartfelt celebration honoring both the artist and a city that has held onto the memory and celebrated his music for years,” a statement reads.

Some 34 years have passed since Elton first performed two shows at the Azteca Stadium, as part of The One tour. His most recent appearance in the capital was 12 years ago, for a pair of Elton & Ray Cooper dates at Auditorio Nacional, back in 2012.

Elton wrapped his Farewell Yellow Brick Road jaunt on Saturday, July 8, 2023. Almost five years after launching, the tour grossed $939.1 million and sold 6 million tickets according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Along the way, the global pandemic wrecked touring plans, while Elton missed a string of dates due to injury and illness.

His return to Mexico is a promise kept for those postponed shows.

“Mexico City has always held a special place in my heart”, Elton comments in a statement. “I was truly disappointed that the pandemic kept me from touring Latin America during my Farewell tour which makes this return especially meaningful. I’m thrilled to finally share this very special moment with my fans after all these years.”

The general on sale kicks off Thursday, July 16 at 12pm local time in Mexico City. Click here for more.

John announced his impending retirement from touring with the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour back in January 2018, ultimately kicking off the jaunt in September of that year. He presented it as a three-year goodbye, and other than extending the timeline by two years due to COVID-19’s global shutdown, he stuck to his word. John maintains that he does not want to tour again, but hasn’t ruled out playing sporadic events in the future.

Intocable will be saluted next week with a prime piece of real estate — a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Formed in the border town of Zapata, Texas, in the early 1990s, Intocable revolutionized Latin music, blending Tejano, Norteño, pop, rock, and cumbia “into a groundbreaking sound that has inspired generations,” reads a statement announcing their latest award. “Their influence is unmatched.”

The Latin music legends will receive the 2,852nd star during a ceremony next Thursday, July 16, in the category of “Recording.” Jessica Maldonado will emcee the ceremony, with Edgar Barrera and Nir Serrousi on hand as special guests.

The group has long ranked among regional Mexican music’s most durable hitmakers, with 15 No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Regional Mexican Albums chart and 21 No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay, sold an estimated 55 million albums and collected multiple Grammys, Latin Grammys, Billboard awards, and lifetime achievement awards.

“For more than three decades, Intocable has helped shape the sound and global reach of regional Mexican music through their artistry, authenticity, and enduring connection with audiences,” remarks Ana Martinez, producer, Hollywood Walk of Fame. “The Hollywood Walk of Fame is proud to recognize their extraordinary contributions to the recording industry with this well- deserved honor.”

Outside of music, the group received a Proclamation for their enduring contributions to music and cultural impact from the Governor’s Office and the House of Representatives in Texas, and were named “Emissary of the Muses” by the city of San Antonio, a title previously awarded to the likes of Bon Jovi, Journey, and Placido Domingo.

The star is forged as Intocable continues its Cultura Tour 2026, which visits 24 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Separately, the Tejano legends last month partnered with Primary Wave Music in a deal covering the band’s catalog as well as its name, image and likeness rights. 

Intocable’s star is dedicated at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard.

Kylie Cantrall is entering a new era with the release of her upcoming EP, Valley Girl Problems.

The Disney star’s latest project is set for release on July 24. Valley Girl Problems is an eight-track EP that marks a new chapter for the Venezuelan-American artist, as she continues to transition from her acting career and her role as Red in the Descendants franchise to becoming a household name in pop music. 

The EP’s lead single “Carrie Bradshaw” was released in April, while other tracks include “Grwm,” the title track, “Closet,” “Girls Like U,” “Yuck!” and two interludes titled “The Problem” and “The Answer.”

“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Write what you know,’ and that’s exactly what I did with this EP,” Cantrall said of the project. “Valley Girl Problems truly captures everything I’ve experienced over the last year and how I’ve embraced this new chapter of my life.”

Valley Girl Problems was produced by Tricky Stewart — known for working with artists such as Rihanna and Tyla — and written alongside Tayla Parx, who co-wrote the song inspired by the iconic Sex and the City character and is a hitmaking co-writer for Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco and more.

The release of Valley Girl Problems will follow Cantrall’s return to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, a sequel to The Rise of Red, debuting July 16 on Disney Channel. The Disney production marks the fifth installment in the Descendants franchise, in which she portrays the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, played by singer Rita Ora.

Earlier this year, the actress and singer signed to Republic Records, in partnership with APG and Heroine Music. Last year, Cantrall released her debut EP, B.O.Y., which included the singles “Boy for a Day,” “Goodie Bag,” “Denim” and “See U Tonight.”

The Valley Girl Problems track list:

Nene Royal has a name, and a voice, that you just might hear again.

Hailing the Phuket, Thailand, the teenager stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage, for the latest round of Auditions, airing Tuesday night (July 7). And she immediately made everyone in the place stand up and take notice.

Royal, like so many AGT hopefuls, the performance was the first stride in a lifelong dream. Picking up the guitar at age seven, she has always dreamed of being a “superstar on tour,” she told the judges at the top. Well, she came to the dream factory.

Performing a day prior to her 16^th birthday, Royal shook off any lingering nerves, hoisted an electric guitar, cranked up her amp and tore through a cover of The Cranberries mid-‘90s protest anthem “Zombie,” a song that logged six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart.

Make no mistake. The kid can rock.

With her proud dad watching on, Royal had the room in raptures, jaws on the floor. “That was spectacular. You have a very big chance to do really good in this competition,” enthused Sofía Vergara. “I loved it.”

Howie Mandel got a much-appreciated wake up. “You are such a surprise (with your) energy and the rock ‘n’ roll. You are a rock star, young lady, you really are,” he enthused.

Mel B praised the youngster’s vocal control. And she can “kill it” on the guitar. “You’re like a match made in heaven. You’re brilliant.”

Simon Cowell, as he so often does, spoke last. “The tone of your voice,” he remarked, “it was like really authentic and even the fact it was all a bit messy actually made, for me, the audition really good.”

Each judge voted, each gave a resounding yes. And Royal continues on her dream run in this 21^th season of NBC’s AGT. Watch below.

Ed Sheeran will sign a record deal with Interscope, sources have confirmed with Billboard. The news comes after Sheeran announced in May that he had left his longtime label home, Warner Music Group (WMG).

Sheeran signed with Asylum/Atlantic U.K. A&R Ed Howard in 2011. Shortly after that, he rose to fame with the release of his 2011 debut album, +, which was certified three-times platinum by the RIAA. His sophomore set, x, was an even bigger seller thanks to the success of singles like “Thinking Out Loud,” “Don’t” and “Photograph,” all of which hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. He continued a string of chart successes with subsequent releases, scoring a total of eight top five albums on the Billboard 200, including four No. 1s. He’s also scored a total of nine top 10 singles on the Hot 100, including two No. 1s: “Shape of You” and “Perfect,” both released in 2017.

“I’ve decided to leave Asylum/Warner last month. I leave the company with SO much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together,” Sheeran said in announcing his exit from WMG. “This isn’t a ‘disgruntled artist leaves record label’ type situation. This is a boy who started as a teenager on the company with different priorities, to the father of 2 man who exists now, who feels like he needs a shift and change in the way he does things professionally.”

WMG will hold onto Sheeran’s catalog of hits and has long-term licenses for his two most recent albums, Autumn Variations and Play, both of which were jointly released on Sheeran’s own label, Gingerbread Man, and Atlantic.

Interscope did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.

On Tuesday (July 7), Primary Wave officially passed all relevant regulatory scrutiny and closed its acquisition of Kobalt, Billboard has confirmed. The deal is estimated to be worth more than $1.5 billion.

The possibility of the deal was first reported by Billboard in February. At the time, it was estimated that if Primary Wave and Kobalt were to go through with it, the combined companies would be worth $7 billion in assets. By March 23, a press release announced that Primary Wave’s acquisition was officially happening and would include Kobalt’s worldwide operations, its catalog of copyrights and digital collection society AMRA.

Under the new ownership of Primary Wave, the two companies will continue to operate as standalone firms. Kobalt will retain CEO Laurent Hubert as its leader.

Primary Wave and Kobalt are both indie music giants in their own right, but the two have different focuses. Primary Wave is focused on big-name catalog acquisitions, with a portfolio containing stakes in catalogs from Prince, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Stevie Nicks, Luther Vandross, Bob Marley, Britney Spears and Jackson Brown. Kobalt has a different approach, focusing on offering a large roster of current songwriting talent with publishing administration aid and help collecting royalties, among other services, for signees like Phoebe Bridgers, Panic! At the Disco, Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, Kali Uchis, Paul McCartney and more.

Kobalt often ranks on Billboard’s Publishers’ Quarterly list as the largest independent music publisher by market share. In 2022, it was acquired by a group of investors led by Francisco Partners (which held a controlling 90% interest) in a deal that valued the company at around $750 million. Since then, the company has continued to grow its roster and improve profits. In recent years, Kobalt launched KOSIGN, its solution for young songwriters looking for flexible deal terms, and launched a joint venture with Morgan Stanley’s Tactical Value group with $700 million to invest in music copyrights.

While Primary Wave has ownership in an enviable catalog of hit songs, it’s historically been dependent on other publishers — including but not limited to Kobalt — to handle publishing administration. Sometimes, when Primary Wave acquires a catalog, the songs will be tied up in other incomplete publishing deals. For those catalogs that are free to move publishers, Primary Wave often assigns their administration, with songwriter consent, to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), sources say.

Now, Primary Wave has administration services at the ready in-house. It now also owns Kobalt’s AMRA, the global music collection organization that collects mechanical and performance royalties directly from digital services providers, which could help Primary Wave cut down on fees paid to local societies and subpublishers.

Ben Folds is giving fans a look at what might have been.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album with the release of Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary), a newly remastered edition set to be released on Sept. 4.

The project pairs the original 1995 record with an unreleased version of the album titled Shelved First Attempt. The recently unearthed project is being previewed with the fan-favorite track “Underground (Shelved First Attempt),” available to fans on Tuesday (June 7).

“Here’s my 59-year-old self’s take on the album we made when I was 28: Overall, it’s good!” Folds writes in the anniversary edition’s liner notes. “It’s NOT the kind of record you’d hear produced these days. It’s pretty rough and tumble, mostly in a good way. And it’s emphatically unique. It’s from an era when you could still identify a band by the instrumentalists, before you’d even hear the vocalist.”

The “Shelved First Attempt” comprises tracks that remained tucked away for more than 30 years before Folds decided to resurface them from his personal archives. The recordings feature earlier versions of tracks such as “Underground,” “Julianne” and “Philosophy,” as well as “Boxing” and “Evaporated,” which appeared on the band’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Other tracks within the collection include “Emaline,” “Dick Holster” and “Eddie Walker.”

Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen’s release was the commercial breakthrough for Ben Folds Five, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Brick,” one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart, No. 11 on the Mainstream Top 40 and reached No. 19 on the mainstream Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released via Capitol/UMe on CD and vinyl, while the remaster of the original album as well as the Shelved First Attempt will both be available to stream and download.

As the project’s reissue becomes available, the group is set to reunite for their first live performances together in more than 13 years next year.

Preview the Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) CD tracklist:

DISC 1 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (REMASTERED)

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy
3. Julianne
4. Where’s Summer B.?
5. Alice Childress
6. Underground
7. Sports & Wine
8. Uncle Walter
9. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing

DISC 2 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (SHELVED FIRST ATTEMPT)

1. Underground
2. Julianne
3. Uncle Walter
4. Alice Childress
5. Evaporated
6. Dick Holster
7. Philosophy
8. Boxing
9. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker

One thing about Jim Jones? He’s good for a quote.

The Harlem rapper popped by the No Funny Sh– podcast recently and was asked about the Verzuz challenge he made toward his fellow Diplomat Cam’ron back in May. And while he acknowledged that the challenge was just him trolling a little bit, Jimmy also said that he feels like he has one of the better discographies in New York rap history.

“I got a better catalog than over 90 percent of the rappers out of New York City in history,” he said confidently. “Not to be like…there’s been a lot of rappers in New York, but I got real gold records, more than one of them, like albums and sh– like that. You dig? I got real platinum singles and sh– like that.”

He added: “Some of your favorite rappers don’t have nothing platinum. That doesn’t make me better than anybody and sh– like that, but statistically I got a hell of a catalog. I mean, from every album that I put out, I got a dope a– single, especially in New York. In New York, hands down, I know I got 20 records.”

Jim made headlines this time last year when he defended himself after a podcast clip of a college student saying the Dipset member was more relevant than Nas went viral. However, during an interview with the legendary Angie Martinez, Jones admitted that he didn’t realize how many fans the Queens rapper still has after his comments received massive pushback from the hip-hop community.

You can watch Jim’s full conversation with No Funny Sh– below.