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Cat Clyde and MICO Named Spotify EQUAL and RADAR Canada Ambassadors Ahead of the JUNOs

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Spotify Canada has named Cat Clyde and MICO as the latest ambassadors for its EQUAL and RADAR programs, a timely spotlight on two of the country’s most compelling independent voices ahead of the JUNO Awards. Both artists will be featured on Toronto’s iconic Sankofa Square billboard and each curates a playlist celebrating the genre-blending artists driving the Canadian sound forward right now.

Cat Clyde takes the EQUAL Canada ambassador role. The rural Ontario singer-songwriter has built a devoted following through soulful folk, blues, and vintage country rooted in evocative storytelling and rich, warm soundscapes. Her EQUAL playlist spotlights trailblazing women artists shaping the future of Canadian music, landing at the intersection of International Women’s Day and JUNO season.

MICO holds the RADAR Canada spot. The Toronto-born artist (Miguel Velso) makes emotionally charged alternative pop that pulls from pop-punk energy, nostalgic influences, and internet-era storytelling. His songs are deeply personal and built to resonate, earning him a devoted fanbase known as the Amicos. He represents exactly the kind of global-minded Canadian artist the RADAR program was designed to amplify.

Together, the two ambassadors reflect the range and depth of what Canadian music looks like in 2026. Folk and alternative pop, vintage roots and contemporary edge, both rooted in authentic songwriting and both connecting with audiences well beyond Canadian borders.

Spotify’s Loud & Clear Report Shows 13,800 Artists Now Earning Six Figures From Streaming

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Let’s turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away from the one we know today. Piracy was rampant, revenue was shrinking, and, for most artists, the path to a global career was incredibly narrow. The question on everyone’s mind wasn’t about growth, but whether the industry could survive. It was at that moment that Spotify was founded, to help rebuild a broken system.

Today, the latest edition of Loud & Clear reveals a thriving industry. Their annual report on the economics of music streaming shows the significant growth and structural shifts that have reshaped the business, particularly over the last decade. So what does this new landscape actually look like? The data paints a clear picture of a wider path for artists everywhere to build a sustainable career.

You can explore the full Loud & Clear report on their site, but here are the 10 key takeaways from the data:

1. The $11 billion+ growth engine

For another year, Spotify was the highest-paying retailer globally, paying the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025 and bringing their all-time total to nearly $70 billion. Spotify payouts grew more than 10% year-over-year—more than double the rate of other industry income sources. And once again, roughly half of those royalties were generated by independent artists and labels.

2. The new global class of $100,000 artists

In 2025, more than 13,800 artists generated at least $100,000 from Spotify alone (nearly 1,400 more than the prior year). That’s more artists than were earning half that amount just five years ago.

3. Million-dollar careers

A decade ago, the very top artist on Spotify reached $10 million in annual royalties for the first time. Today, the 80 top artists each generate more than $10 million annually from Spotify alone. 

At the same time, a new class of career artists has emerged, with more than 1,500 artists generating over $1 million in royalties from Spotify last year. In fact, capturing just 1% of streams from 1% of listeners is enough to earn $1 million in annual royalties from Spotify.

4. The rising 100,000th artist

In 2025, the 100,000th-highest-earning artist generated more than $7,300 in royalties from Spotify alone. In 2015, the artist in that same position generated about $350. That’s more than a twentyfold increase in just a decade. In other words, it’s not just the biggest artists making more. It’s massive earnings growth for artists at earlier stages of their careers, too.

5. From Fresh Finds to six figures

More than 1 in 10 artists generating over $100,000 annually on Spotify today were first playlisted within their Fresh Finds ecosystem, which spotlights emerging indie artists. That’s over 1,600 artists featured early by Spotify who have since gone on to build six-figure careers.

6. The DIY path to an enduring career

In 2025, more than a third of artists who generated $10,000 or more in royalties from Spotify were DIY (meaning they self-release their music through independent distributors) or began their careers that way. This path represents a sustained career, as more than 90% of DIY royalties in 2025 went to artists who have been releasing music for more than a year.

7. More than 50% of royalties come from abroad

On average, artists see more than half of their royalties coming from outside their home country just two years after debuting. That global listening is lifting artists in more markets to high six-figure earnings levels. In 2025, artists who generated more than $500,000 in Spotify royalties represented 75 countries, up from 66 the year prior. At the $10,000 level, artists from more than 150 countries generated as much on Spotify.

8. Growth speaks many languages

Today’s biggest hits come in more languages than ever. In 2025, songs in 16 languages reached Spotify’s Global Top 50—more than double the number in 2020. Among genres generating over $100 million in Spotify royalties, the fastest-growing were Brazilian funk (+36%), K-Pop (+31%), Latin trap (+29%), Latin urban (+27%), and reggaeton (+24%).

9. Songwriters hit new heights

2025 marked the largest annual music publishing payout in Spotify’s history. Over the past two years alone, Spotify paid approximately $5 billion to the publishers and organizations representing songwriters.

10. More than $1.5 billion in ticket sales

The financial impact of streaming doesn’t stop with royalties, it also powers live music. By the first half of 2025, Spotify had driven $1 billion in gross concert ticket sales for artists. That total has now exceeded $1.5 billion. By connecting real fans with nearby shows, Spotify helps turn everyday listeners into ticket buyers.

A foundation for the future

The music industry is now more global, is more diverse, and supports more artists than at any point in history. The data in this report isn’t just a look back at a record-breaking year; it’s a look at the foundation for a more sustainable future for music. Their work continues, but the goal remains the same: to ensure the path for artists to reach fans and success is even wider tomorrow than it is today.

Monkees Fan Video Catches Peter Tork Mouthing Every Line He Was Never Supposed To

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A fan-made video is making the rounds and it is exactly the kind of deep-cut Monkees content the internet was built for. Posted by YouTube creator Maz the clip compiles every moment Peter Tork can be caught on camera mouthing someone else’s lines, and Tork clearly knew every word of every script, and his face gave him away every single time.

Malaysian Rapper Zamaera Curates Historic “Made in Malaysia” Stage at SXSW 2026

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Malaysia is making history at South by Southwest. On March 15, the Made in Malaysia stage at Las Perlas in Austin marks the first time a national Malaysian music showcase has ever been presented at the globally renowned festival. Curated and headlined by rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer Zamaera, the night brings five boundary-pushing Malaysian artists to one of the most influential cultural platforms on the planet.

The lineup spans the full range of what Malaysian independent music looks like right now. R&B vocalist Murty, indie singer-songwriter Zoe Tan, hyperpop and hip-hop provocateur Lil Asian Thiccie, and electronic producer I-SKY join Zamaera on the bill. Texas-based DJ VÖ.A_2000 opens the evening. The set times run from 7:45 PM through 12:45 AM, a full night of music built to make an impression.

Zamaera, who also founded Mean Malaya Entertainment, has been the driving force behind this moment. “Our music may sound global, but it’s unmistakably Malaysian,” she said. “Every track carries the mix of languages, influences, and stories that shape our culture. With the Made in Malaysia stage, we’re not just performing songs, we’re sharing our identity, our creativity, and our voice with the world.”

The showcase lands at exactly the right time. Malaysia’s independent music scene is producing artists who blend Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous cultural roots with hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and alternative sounds in ways that feel genuinely fresh. This is a scene that has largely operated below the global radar, and SXSW 2026 changes that.

Made in Malaysia is one of the few Southeast Asian showcases at this year’s festival. For anyone in Austin on March 15, Las Perlas is the room to be in.

Made in Malaysia, SXSW 2026, Set Times:

7:45 PM – 8:45 PM | VÖ.A_2000

8:55 PM – 9:25 PM | Zoe Tan

9:35 PM – 10:05 PM | Murty

10:15 PM – 10:55 PM | Zamaera

11:05 PM – 11:35 PM | Lil Asian Thiccie

11:45 PM – 12:45 AM | I-SKY

Ukrainian Folk Collective YAGODY Bring Their Ancestral Sound to KEXP

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YAGODY have arrived on one of the most respected stages in independent radio. The Ukrainian folk collective, founded in Lviv in 2016 by Zoriana Dybovska alongside fellow theater students, recorded a full six-song live session at KEXP in Seattle.

This is not background music. YAGODY’s sound draws from deep regional Ukrainian folk traditions, gathered across the country through years of active field research. That source material, songs about love, life, and memory, gets filtered through a lineup of voices, accordion, drums, percussion, Tibetan bowl, and the drymba, a Hutsul mouth harp from the Carpathians. The result is something genuinely singular.

The KEXP session covers six tracks: “Skopaiu Ya Hryadochku,” “Divonko,” “Kalyna-Malyna,” “Tsunamia,” “BramaYA,” and “Chornomorets.” The performances crackle with ritual energy and choral depth, voices layered and alive in a way that demands your full attention.

Dybovska has said each moment in a person’s life has its own song. That philosophy is audible here. YAGODY treat a concert as a performance in one act, built on dramaturgical principles rooted in their theater backgrounds. The KEXP session captures that approach in full.

The group released their debut album in 2020 and have performed at notable events including the medieval festival “Tu Stan!” in Lviv and Lodžie Worldfest in Jičín, Czech Republic.

Conan O’Brien’s Uncut Space Ghost Coast to Coast Interview Is Stranger Than You Remember

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Before Conan O’Brien became a late-night institution, he sat down for one of the most gloriously strange interviews in television history. His appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, filmed in 1995, features raw voice acting and an interview with the animated Space Ghost, who promptly abandons the conversation to chase an ant. It is exactly as chaotic and brilliant as it sounds.


14 Songs to Start Your Morning With

Mornings are strange little crossroads. One minute you’re negotiating with the alarm clock like a hostage negotiator, the next you’re pouring coffee and deciding what kind of day this is going to be. That’s where music comes in. The right song can flip the switch from groggy to glorious faster than your second cup of caffeine.

Some mornings need a jolt of sunshine. Others want a groove to ease into the day. And occasionally, you just need something loud enough to remind your brain that yes, we are doing this thing called life again. So here are 14 songs to kickstart your morning, each one carrying a little spark of rhythm, optimism, or attitude to get the day rolling.

And because mornings demand order before caffeine fully kicks in, they’re listed alphabetically.

Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”
A two-minute burst of indie-rock caffeine. The guitars bounce, the rhythm gallops, and suddenly you’re tying your shoes faster than usual. If mornings had a soundtrack for rushing out the door with a grin, this would be it.

Coldplay – “Adventure of a Lifetime”
This groove practically dances out of bed. Funky guitars and a buoyant beat make it impossible to stay sleepy. It’s the kind of song that makes your walk to the kitchen feel like the opening scene of a music video.

Dermot Kennedy – “Better Days”
Not every morning starts with fireworks. Sometimes you need a steady voice reminding you that the road ahead is heading somewhere good. This song does exactly that.

Colbie Caillat – “Brighter Than the Sun”
Warm acoustic pop that feels like actual sunlight pouring through the window. It’s cheerful without being sugary and gently nudges you toward optimism before the day really begins.

Florence + The Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”
The slow build, the pounding drums, the explosion of joy. If your morning needs a full emotional reset, this one delivers.

Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
That bassline alone deserves its own alarm clock setting. A little mysterious, a little funky, and just weird enough to wake your brain up properly.

Harry Styles – “Golden”
Soft, breezy, and glowing like the first rays of daylight. If you’re looking for a song that feels like driving with the windows down on the way to work, this is it.

Lizzo – “Good as Hell”
Some mornings demand confidence before you’ve even brushed your teeth. Lizzo supplies the soundtrack. Hair toss optional but strongly encouraged.

Nina Simone – “Here Comes the Sun”
A soulful reinvention of a familiar classic. Simone’s voice adds warmth and gravity, turning a simple morning message into something timeless.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Home”
A communal singalong that feels like friends gathering around the kitchen table. Imperfect, joyful, and the musical equivalent of a deep breath.

James Brown – “I Got You (I Feel Good)”
No subtlety here. Just pure, unstoppable energy. Press play and suddenly the day feels like it’s already winning.

Phoenix – “Lisztomania”
Bright synths, jangly guitars, and that endlessly uplifting chorus. It’s the indie-pop equivalent of throwing open the curtains and letting the day in.

Imagine Dragons – “On Top of the World”
If your morning playlist needs a victory lap before the day even begins, this song delivers it with a stomping beat and stadium-sized optimism.

Empire of the Sun – “Walking on a Dream”
Dreamy synths and floating melodies make this the perfect final track to ease you fully into motion. It feels like sunrise in song form.

Managed Cybersecurity Solutions: Strengthening Modern Organizations Against Evolving Threats

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By Mitch Rice

The security threats from cybersecurity attacks continue to increase in both their size and their difficulty to handle. The protection of critical data and operational systems requires businesses to implement advanced security measures against ransomware attacks and data breaches and complex supply-chain assaults. Organizations that need enterprise-level security protection but want to avoid developing extensive internal security teams have turned to managed cybersecurity solutions as their primary security method.

Blueshift Cyber serves as one of the organizations which assists businesses in overcoming their challenges through its cybersecurity services which use artificial intelligence to provide protection against contemporary security threats. The company offers Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) services which operate through a 24/7 U.S.-based Security Operations Center (SOC) that allows for continuous monitoring and advanced threat detection and quick incident response. Blueshift Cyber provides cybersecurity protection to small and medium businesses and government entities and critical infrastructure facilities against developing cyber threats. The company offers advanced threat detection along with an application whitelisting tool that enables organizations to enforce security policies by permitting only authorized software to operate in their systems.

Understanding Managed Cybersecurity Solutions

Managed cybersecurity solutions refer to security services that an organization outsources to deliver threat monitoring and detection and response capabilities. Companies establish partnerships with security providers who deliver advanced technologies and dedicated analysts and 24/7 monitoring services instead of depending solely on their internal IT resources.

These services typically include:

  • Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
  • Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR)
  • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
  • Vulnerability management and threat intelligence
  • Incident response and digital forensics
  • Compliance monitoring and reporting

By adopting managed security services, organizations gain access to enterprise-level cybersecurity capabilities without the overhead of maintaining complex infrastructure or hiring large security teams.

The Importance of Managed XDR

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) represents a significant evolution in cybersecurity defense strategies. The lack of integrated security tools causes organizations to lose their ability to monitor system activities. XDR solves this issue by integrating telemetry from endpoints, networks, cloud platforms, and identity systems into a centralized detection and response framework. The managed XDR services improve this framework by integrating their advanced detection technologies together with human operational capabilities. Security analysts monitor alerts, correlate events across multiple data sources, and investigate suspicious behavior to identify potential attacks before they escalate.

This approach improves:

  • Threat visibility across the entire infrastructure
  • Detection accuracy through correlated security data
  • Response speed to minimize damage from cyber incidents

AI-Powered Security and 24/7 Monitoring

The current cybersecurity methods of today rely on artificial intelligence as their essential technology. AI security platforms operate by processing extensive data streams to detect suspicious behavior patterns which indicate potential security threats. The security operations center operates continuously throughout the day, which enhances the effectiveness of artificial intelligence systems. Security analysts work to review alerts while they perform active threat detection and manage emergency security response operations.

A fully operational SOC typically provides:

  • Real-time threat monitoring and alert management
  • Incident investigation and root-cause analysis
  • Automated and manual threat containment
  • Security event correlation across systems
  • Compliance reporting and risk assessment

Continuous monitoring ensures that cyber threats are addressed immediately, even outside normal business hours.

Benefits of Managed Cybersecurity Services

Organizations increasingly rely on managed cybersecurity solutions due to several strategic benefits.

1. Continuous Threat Detection

Managed services provide round-the-clock monitoring, ensuring that threats are identified and addressed as quickly as possible.

2. Access to Specialized Expertise

Cybersecurity professionals with advanced skills are difficult and expensive to hire. Managed security providers deliver access to experienced analysts and threat intelligence teams.

3. Faster Incident Response

With dedicated SOC teams and automated detection systems, security incidents can be investigated and mitigated much faster.

4. Improved Infrastructure Visibility

Integrated security platforms provide a unified view of networks, endpoints, and cloud environments, allowing organizations to identify vulnerabilities more effectively.

5. Cost Efficiency

Building an in-house security operations center can be extremely expensive. Managed cybersecurity services allow organizations to access advanced security capabilities at a predictable cost.

Why Managed Cybersecurity Matters for Modern Organizations

Cybercriminals have begun to focus their attacks on small-to-medium-sized businesses and government agencies and critical infrastructure operators. The organizations face increased attack risks because they do not have enough resources to maintain extensive internal security teams. The gap between security needs and existing capabilities can be addressed through managed cybersecurity services which provide enterprise-level protection that uses AI analytics to monitor systems and respond to security incidents rapidly. Organizations improve their ability to handle new cyber threats by working with security providers who have established expertise.

Conclusion

The increasing advanced nature of cyber threats requires organizations to implement active cybersecurity protection measures. Organizations need managed cybersecurity solutions which deliver them both necessary technology and expert knowledge and ongoing security monitoring capabilities to protect against current security dangers. 

The use of advanced tools which include Managed XDR and AI-driven analytics and 24/7 SOC monitoring enables businesses to achieve better threat detection abilities and faster response times and enhanced security protection throughout their complete digital environment . The managed security services from Blueshift Cyber provide organizations with a solution that helps them build cybersecurity resilience while protecting essential systems in a highly complex security environment.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

Knoxville Death/Black Thrash Force Dissonance Unleash “Induced Mentacide” Featuring Ricky Myers of Suffocation

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Dissonance have released their devastating new single “Induced Mentacide” via Maelstrom Records, featuring a guest appearance from Ricky Myers of Suffocation. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Levi Fuselier, the track delivers raw precision and controlled chaos in equal measure, pushing the Knoxville-based death/black thrash outfit’s sound into punishing new territory. Fans of At the Gates, Death, and Skeletal Remains will want this one loud.

Formed in 2024 by Fuselier, whose metal credentials include stints in brutal death giants Disgorge and Pathology, and lead guitarist Dustin Hurt, Dissonance have moved fast. The current lineup features Jonathan Joubert on vocals, Fuselier on rhythm guitar, Hurt on lead guitar, and Nick Ziros on bass. Despite being less than two years old, the band has already carved out a serious reputation in the underground extreme metal scene.

Myers’ contribution to “Induced Mentacide” is not window dressing. His technical brutality as the vocalist of Suffocation adds a layer of intensity that pushes the track to its limit. “Having Ricky on this track pushed us all to the edge,” Fuselier says. “Induced Mentacide is everything we wanted death and black thrash to feel: raw, punishing, and absolutely unrelenting.” The single delivers exactly that, and then some.

Basel Thrash/Death Maniacs Total Annihilation Deliver Unrelenting Fury on ‘Mountains of Madness’

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Total Annihilation have released their fourth full-length album, ‘Mountains of Madness’, via Testimony Records. Recorded by Christoph Brandes at Iguana Studios in Freiburg, Germany, and mixed and mastered by Ronnie Björnström in Sweden, the album pushes the band’s Thrashing Death Metal style into faster, heavier, and more technically demanding territory than anything they have delivered before. It is out now on all platforms.

Active since 2006, the Basel, Switzerland-based thrash/death metal force spent nearly two decades evolving from raw thrash purists into one of Europe’s most ferocious underground metal acts. Their 2023 release ‘Raging Death’ established the blueprint, fusing furious thrash with old-school death metal aggression. ‘Mountains of Madness’ takes that foundation and demolishes it, building something harder and more relentless in its place. Fans of Legion of the Damned, old Kreator, and Asphyx will find exactly what they are looking for here.

“More speed, more brutality, more Thrash and more Death,” the band says of the record. “‘Mountains of Madness’ hits the sweet spot between speed and brutality. There will be no mercy.” That is not a boast, it is a mission statement, and the album delivers on it completely. From the opening track to the final breakdown, this is a record built for the mosh pit and engineered to leave nothing standing.