For the latest edition of Barça Matchday, it’s star winger Lamine Yamal taking the aux.
Lamine needs no introduction on the pitch. But in the FC Barcelona locker room, the teenager serves as its de facto DJ, as revealed by his teammates Alejandro Balde, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski during 2024 Wrapped.
Yamal’s playlist includes music from fellow Spaniard Morad, former Barça shirt stars KAROL G and ROSALÍA, and the king of Spotify, Bad Bunny.
“I love to be the team DJ because the feeling you get from good music before a match can drive you on to win,” Lamine said. “Listening to my Spotify playlist will be like sitting next to the boys in the locker room before a game!”
Since entering the audiobooks space in 2022, Spotify has positively impacted the industry, paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to rights holders on an annualized basis. In its more mature markets, audiobooks have also become one of the biggest sources of revenue growth for publishers.
Spotify’s data shows a significant increase in unique listeners who are discovering the magic of audiobooks for the first time via the platform. By driving discovery and bringing in new audiences, Spotify is increasing overall audiobook consumption, which provides another avenue of growing revenue for authors and publishers.
Since launching Audiobooks in France and Benelux last October, Spotify has seen an average month-over-month growth of 12% in listeners and listening hours. In France, the company continues to bring a younger, more diverse audience to audiobooks, with nearly 60% of listeners aged 18 to 34 accounting for over half of all listening hours.
In order to continue to build opportunities for authors and publishers, especially in countries where the audiobook market isn’t yet mature, Spotify wants to support audiobook production. Today, the company is announcing a €1 million investment to increase the production of audiobooks in non-English languages, starting with French and Dutch.
This investment reinforces Spotify’s desire to grow the market for authors and publishers, particularly in markets where audiobooks are still growing as a format, while improving the catalog and consumer experience.
“Our aim is to help create long-term value for the publishing industry and build new revenue streams for partners. To do that we must attract new audiences whilst also retaining existing book lovers, and audiobooks can play a key role in that. But at the heart of that must be great books. With less than 3% of French-language books available in audio format today, this is a great opportunity to help publishers and authors find new readers,” said Jérémy Amsellem, Audiobooks Partnerships and Licensing Manager for Europe.
High production costs and slow market adoption have limited the number of non-English audiobooks available to listeners. In France, for example, there are approximately 750,000 titles in French, but approximately 20,000 audiobooks. In the Netherlands, there are approximately 15,000 audiobooks in Dutch from a total physical catalogue of 209,000.
Spotify believes in the power of human narration, and it will continue to work with partners and the narrator community to bring these titles to fans in French and Dutch languages. However, Spotify will also offer Digital Voice Narration as part of this investment to help make audiobook production more cost-effective for partners who require a lower barrier to entry. For listeners, AI-narrated titles will be clearly identified in the description with “this audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.”
Finally, Spotify understands that authors and publishers want to reach the widest possible audience. That’s why all cofunded audiobooks will be nonexclusive and made available on Spotify, with the option to host on any other major platform.
Spotify aims to create the best possible experience for authors, publishers, and listeners, and this investment marks another important step toward introducing audiobooks to new audiences, diversifying its catalog, and providing more choices in more languages than ever before.
Deciding on a home care agency for your elderly loved one’s care is a significant decision a family has to make. At New Beginnings, our Home Care Services in Philadelphia provide personalized assistance with daily tasks and ample opportunities for social engagement to enhance a senior’s quality of life.
Seniors opting to live at home can now enjoy an enhanced quality of life thanks to professional home care services that prioritize independence, comfort, and physical and emotional well-being.
Maintaining Independence
Home care allows seniors to enjoy the golden years of their lives in the comforts of their homes while receiving customized care and support tailored to their unique needs. Unlike assisted living facilities and nursing homes, home care agencies focus on maintaining Independence by providing the right amount of assistance and support. Home care agencies ensure seniors receive care without compromising their autonomy.
A significant advantage of home care is that it allows seniors to be socially active.
Seniors can continue to maintain their meaningful social connections which are mentally stimulating. At New Beginnings, our caregivers involve seniors in accomplishing tasks, as opposed to doing tasks for them.
Family’s Involvement
Being close to their loved ones plays a crucial role in an elderly citizen’s overall well-being. Home care facilitates maintaining interactions with family members.
Seniors who continue to maintain close relationships with loved ones experience an enhanced quality of life. Regular interactions with family members can reduce feelings of depression and loneliness.
Family interactions involve gatherings, meaningful conversations, and other social events. These interactions can prevent the onset of cognitive decline. Home care agencies provide regular updates on the care recipient’s well-being and care plans, keeping family members involved and informed. At New Beginnings, we provide support services such as counseling and caregiving resources to help family members navigate the intricacies of elderly care and stay involved.
Home Care Is Cost-effective
It is critical for families to have a cost-effective strategy for elder care. The financial constraints of providing quality care for elderly loved ones can be challenging for some families. Hiring a home care agency allows seniors to receive assistance with daily tasks.
Home care plans are flexible and financially sustainable and do not compromise on the senior’s well-being. Home care services are more affordable than nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Home care agencies provide personalized care tailored to the specific needs of seniors.
Contact A Reliable Home Care Agency In Philadelphia
Seniors have a lot to offer in terms of knowledge and experience. Professional home care services can provide inspiration and motivation to seniors to enhance their quality of life. Seniors in a safe and secure environment are less susceptible to stress.
Loneliness is a major cause of depression in the country. Home caregivers provide vital companionship. Caregivers help seniors connect with family members and drive them to social events.Contact our home care team to discover our services, designed to promote independence among seniors and enhance their quality of life.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.
As part of the ongoing celebration of Cypress Hill’s seminal and groundbreaking album, Black Sunday, Z2 is proud to announce CYPRESS HILL: BLACK SUNDAY, a graphic novel that commemorates the era and impact of the album and the band.
Developed with the band, writers Noah Callahan-Bever and Gabriel Alvarez take you on a narrative journey through the making of the album as the artwork of Ken Knudsten, Sebastian Piriz, Giorgio Pontrelli, Felix Ruiz and Guillermo Sanno immerses you deep in the vibe and historic cultural events that surrounded Cypress Hill as they brought Black Sunday to life. With a new cover by the designer of the original album cover, Jay Papke, and a new interview with Cypress Hill as they look back on the album that made them superstars, this is a tribute that is truly Insane in the Brain!
When asked about Black Sunday’s iconic sound and cover art aesthetic B-Real shared: “We called it Black Sunday because we’re Raiders fans and also Black Sabbath fans. So Black Sunday felt like an appropriate title for the album. We tried to match the imagery up with what we were putting down musically.”
Another aspect of the ongoing celebration is the exclusive vinyl included with the Platinum Editions. What began as a joke on a 1996 episode of The Simpsons has now become a true multi-cultural milestone. Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, captured as a feature-length concert film, will be in cinemas for a special theatrical event March 30, 31 and April 2. Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the full length live album, will be released June 6 via Mercury. Only 500 copies of this historic concert will only be available in exclusive GREEN VINYL to preorder on Z2comics.com in the Platinum Singed Bundle.
“It was amazing to take this journey with the people of London who supported Cypress Hill from day one.” -Sen Dog
Available for pre-order now at Z2Comics.com, with a retail release date of June 3rd, 2025, the BLACK SUNDAY graphic novel follows Z2’s acclaimed and best-selling first Cypress Hill collaboration, TRES EQUIS, charting the path taken by the band, and the battles fought, as they rose to the challenge of delivering a sophomore album that would outshine their powerful debut release. The entire book is set against the backdrop of the L.A Riots, Lollapalooza and touring with their friends- the Beastie Boys. The BLACK SUNDAY graphic novel also includes an extensive interview with album designer Jay Papke, taking fans behind the scenes to show the elaborate process that went into the creation of one of the most recognizable album covers in music. The book also contains a brand new interview with B-Real Sen Dog and Eric Bobo as they reflect back on the album, graphic novel and their lasting legacy.
“The work we started together on Cypress Hill: Tres Equis only gets better. Collaborating again with Cypress, Noah and Gabriel to tell the true story of Black Sunday resulted in another sequential masterpiece.” says Z2’s President, Josh Bernstein. “It’s an honor working with B-Real, Sen-Dog, Muggs, Bobo and the entire Cypress Hill + Z2 families to ensure this project smokes.”
The oversized Deluxe edition with slipcase and the limited, signed platinum edition that comes with a Hydro74 Holographic Collector’s Card will only be available directly from Z2 at Z2Comics.com, while a standard softcover edition without slipcase will be available via Z2’s global book distribution partner Simon & Schuster (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, and Indigo) as well as other independent comic and music shops worldwide via Diamond, Lunar and Alliance Distribution.
Preorder your Deluxe and Signed Platinum edition copies today. Shipping for these tiers begins in September here!
Lucy Dacus has announced over 20 new tour stops along her global Forever Is A Feeling Tour. The newly added dates include stops in Detroit, Seattle, Portland, Berkeley CA and Phoenix, as well as a hometown show in Richmond, VA. Opening support varies by market and includes Jay Som, Julia Jacklin, Julien Baker & TORRES.
Pre-sale for the new dates begins Tuesday, April 15 at noon local time; general on sale begins Friday, April 18 at noon local time. Dacus is partnering with The Ally Coalition (TAC) to ensure that $1 from every ticket sold will go to organizations serving queer and trans youth across the country.
The first leg of the Forever Is A Feeling Tour kicks off April 16th in Philadelphia. Support on the spring leg comes from Katie Gavin (of MUNA) and jasmine.4.t. The Forever Is A Feeling Tour is Dacus’ largest to date and includes sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York, two nights at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles and a night at Red Rocks in Denver before heading to the UK and Europe in June. All dates below.
The Forever Is A Feeling Tour arrives on the heels of the release of Dacus’ latest solo album Forever Is A Feeling, which debuted on March 28 via Geffen Records. Shortly after boygenius’ multiple GRAMMY wins in January 2024, Dacus recorded Forever Is A Feeling in Los Angeles with an array of collaborators that includes Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, Blake Mills, Bartees Strange, Madison Cunningham, Collin Pastore, Jake Finch and Melina Duterte.
The album’s first single, “Ankles”, debuted with a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January and recently hit the top five at AAA Radio in the U.S – marking Dacus’ first top five radio hit as a solo artist.
Lucy Dacus Tour Dates:
July 25th – FDR Park – Philadelphia, PA ^*
July 26th – KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH *
July 27th – Riverside Theatre – Milwaukee, WI *
July 29th – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI *
July 30th – Artpark Mainstage Theater – Lewiston, NY *
Aug 2nd – The Green at Shelburne Museum – Shelburne, VT *
Aug 8th – Edgefield – Portland, OR %
Aug 9th – Morrison Center – Boise, ID%
Aug 10th – Remlinger Farms – Carnation, WA %
Aug 12th – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Vancouver, BC %
Aug 16th – The Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA %
Sep 9th – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA
Sep 11th – Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
Sep 11th – 13th – Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Festival – Abiquiu, NM
Sep 13th – The Criterion – Oklahoma City, OK
Sep 15th – Stifel Theatre – St. Louis, MO
Sep 16th – Murat Theatre – Indianapolis, IN
Sep 17th – The Louisville Palace Theater – Louisville, KY
Sep 19th – Altria Theater – Richmond, VA
Sep 20th – DPAC – Durham, NC
Sep 23rd – Asheville Yards – Asheville, NC
Sep 24th – Benedum Center for the Performing Arts – Pittsburgh, PA
* with Jay Som
% with Julia Jacklin
^ with Julien Baker & TORRES
Jason Isbell has announced the fourth edition of ShoalsFest, which will make its return to McFarland Park in the historic area of Muscle Shoals, Alabama on October 11 & 12, 2025. The two-day festival boasts a lineup of Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Jackson Browne, Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Garrison Starr, and Steve Trash. Full lineup below. This year will also include another “In The Round” set from Isbell, Patterson Hood & Chris Tompkins.
General Admission and VIP tickets go on sale on Friday, April 11 at 10 am CT. A special ShoalsFest local sale for Alabama residents will take place for one day only on Friday, April 11 at Rocker Gallery from 12 pm – 6 pm CT. During the local presale, GA tickets will be $75 for a two-day pass, limit 4 tickets per customer with an Alabama driver’s license.
Fresh off the release of his critically-acclaimed solo acoustic album Foxes in the Snow, six-time Grammy Award-winner and area native Jason Isbell developed his guitar playing and his deep reverence for music history as a teenager working at FAME Studios and playing with local musicians and members of the studio’s revered house band, The Swampers. Isbell once again teamed up with his manager Traci Thomas and Outback Presents to bring this special event back to the place that has given him, and the world, so much.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring back ShoalsFest for 2025,” Isbell says. “The lineup is going to be incredible, and I love having the opportunity to play a hometown show and bring world-class artists to the Shoals.”
Muscle Shoals, and the surrounding towns of Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Florence (collectively referred to as “The Shoals”) had an immeasurable impact on popular music with what was dubbed the “Muscle Shoals Sound.” Artists ranging from soul/gospel pioneers The Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge and Aretha Franklin, to contemporary/folk/rock artists of the day such as Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Bob Dylan descended upon the unlikely “Hit Recording Capital of the World” to record at FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where they made some of their most seminal recordings that changed the face of music.
FULL SHOALSFEST 2025 LINEUP:
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Jackson Browne
Waxahatchee
MJ Lenderman
“In The Round” with Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood & Chris Tompkins
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham
Garrison Starr
Steve Trash
And more!
Join Kirk Hammett, legendary guitarist of the multi-platinum-selling and 9X GRAMMY Award-winning band Metallica, for an intimate, live discussion that will take a deep dive into KIRK’s storied music career, and celebrate the launch of his new coffee table book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett available online here.
Tickets for the “Kirk Hammett The Collection: Live” book events are limited and on sale starting Friday, April 11, at 10:00 AM local time in the following cities and venues, April 25 in Toronto, Ontario at Tiff Lightbox, May 2 in Nashville, TN at Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, May 10 in Columbus, OH at Columbus Metropolitan Library, May 24 in Philadelphia, PA at The Fillmore, on June 7 in Tampa, FL at TBD, and on June 28 in Denver, CO at TBD.
Newly released worldwide via Gibson Publishing, The Collection: Kirk Hammett is a premium, hardcover coffee table book in which KIRK tells the stories behind the rare and highly collectible instruments he has used on hit records and on stages worldwide in front of millions of fans. The Collection: Kirk Hammett is available globally via Gibson.com and the Gibson Garage locations in three premium formats: limited signed and numbered Custom and Deluxe Editions and a Standard hardcover.
For tickets, full event details, and book formats, visit here, tickets for Kirk Hammett’s The Collection Live will be available at this location.
A 400-page premium coffee table book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett explores in unprecedented detail the extraordinary guitar collection and life in music of one of heavy metal’s true pioneers, Gibson signature artist, KIRK HAMMETT. Shot on location in Hawaii and Los Angeles by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin and featuring rare imagery from Halfin’s photo archives, this latest release from Gibson Publishing features exclusive new interviews with HAMMETT conducted by Chris Vinnicombe (Gibson Editor-in-Chief) and Mark Agnesi (Gibson Director of Brand Experience). The Collection: Kirk Hammett takes the deepest-ever dive into the Metallica star’s eclectic guitar collection, documenting the instruments he has leaned on throughout his career, from his early days with Bay Area thrash trailblazers Exodus to selling over 125 million albums worldwide and rocking out with Metallica for over 40 years on the world’s biggest stages. Guitars under the microscope include HAMMETT’s storied 1979 Gibson Flying V and Greeny, the legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard formerly owned by guitarists Peter Green and Gary Moore, and so much more. The Collection: Kirk Hammett is a must-have for fans of Kirk Hammett and Metallica and anyone with an interest in fine guitars.
And for Metallica’s full M72 Takeover 2025 schedule, visit here.
Equal Vision Records has launched a new vinyl press of The Hearts of Lonely People, the 2010 debut EP from punk/post-hardcore “supergroup” Isles & Glaciers.
Comprised of current and former members of Pierce the Veil, Chiodos, Sleeping with Sirens, Dance Gavin Dance and The Receiving End of Sirens, the songs on The Hearts of Lonely People have been streamed over 32 million times, and the collection still serves as a breathtaking testament to the power of creation, whatever the medium or mechanism may be. The brand new press features 500 units of ghost mix vinyl and is available now through the Equal Vision Records store here.
In order to accommodate the hectic touring and recording schedules of the various members of Isles & Glaciers, the core writing team behind the project collaborated mostly online by swapping digital files, gradually shaping the group’s debut EP, The Hearts Of The Lonely People. As oddly animatronic as that process may seem, listeners will barely make it through the opening track, “Kings and Chandeliers,” before the stunning success of the union is apparent. Instead of seeming cold or disjointed, there’s a fire to every aspect of the EP that burns as brightly as anything you’ll hear. Yet somehow, the nature of the experience seems to have driven each Isles & Glaciers member to achieve their personal best, and the sum total of those efforts is astonishing.
The Hearts of Lonely People track listing:
Kings and Chandeliers
Hills Like White Elephants
Clush
Empty Sighs and Wine
Oceans for Backyards
Viola Lion
Cemetery Weather
British rock icons Skunk Anansie have released their new single “Lost And Found,” following its worldwide premiere on BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq show. Opening with Skin’s lone vocal before a staccato piano motif starts to accompany her, “Lost and Found” is a striking example of the beauty and drama contained on the band’s forthcoming album ‘The Painful Truth,’ out on May 23rd via FLG.
The video for “Lost And Found” was scripted and directed by Skin. Shot in Munich by the band and India Fleming, the video tells the story of Skin splitting into two personalities after bumping into a demon (Mark Richardson) disguised as a human. The story is told backwards starting with ‘Lost’ Skin bloody, bruised and broken, intermingled with her as ‘Found’ Skin performing with the band.
On the new single, Skin comments: “We wanted to evoke the loneliness and desperation that can occur in a split second by one tiny mistake. Any of us at any time can lose the security built up over a lifetime whether it be via an accident, or a sudden twist of fate.”
‘The Painful Truth’ is a truly mesmerizing, provocative, powerful and emotional album demonstrating a band at the absolute peak of their powers, yet with everything to prove.
“I don’t care that we were big in the Nineties,” states vocalist Skin. “Creatively it’s irrelevant because in my rock bible the first commandment states, ‘If thy rest on them laurels thy shall wither up and die artistically, musically, mentally. And then financially.'”
And for Skin, the past counts for nothing. Even when you’ve been a band for 30 years and history seems on your side. ‘The Painful Truth’ is the sound of SKUNK ANANSIE facing up to who they are and what they want to become. It is more than an album title. It is a reality that they have lived through.
A combination of parenthood, illness, and the departure of their longstanding manager seemed to conspire against them and add to their uncertainty, forcing singer Skin, guitarist Ace, bass player Cass and drummer Mark to question their place in the world as a band, as well as their own personal ambitions. For a while, they came close to calling it a day.
Unsure of what to do, and failing to write on zoom, the four-piece retreated post-Covid to a farmhouse in Devon where amid frank conversations and home-cooked dinners, they slowly began collating their feelings into songs.
“When we write it’s just the four of us in a room with no outside distractions or interference, getting to know each other again. We’d done the Greatest Hits tour and we realized that things needed to change. If we didn’t do something fresh and forward thinking, we couldn’t really be a band anymore. We’d just be doing SKUNK karaoke,” says Skin bluntly.
And ‘The Painful Truth’ is anything but SKUNK karaoke. Produced by David Sitek of TV On The Radio fame, it’s a fresh, frank, uplifting, and textured album, with the band’s knack for writing big pop songs remaining defiantly undiminished. If anything, their hooks this time around are sharper and sink in quicker.
The first single, “An Artist Is An Artist”, is proof of that; a witty, provocative, pulsating slice of spiky, new-wave brilliance has been greeted with a rapturous reception from fans and media alike, proving a radio smash with playlists on BBC6Music, Kerrang Radio, Planet Rock and Absolute alongside being championed by Jo Whiley on Radio 2. And, today’s brand new single “Cheers”, which rides along on a deeply infectious, pulsating rhythm and boasts a truly euphoric chorus, demonstrates once more the sheer quality and ambition of the new album.
‘The Painful Truth’ is a radical record made for these uncertain times. Their first release on the newly formed FLG Records, and with new management in place, also comes with a freshness that belies their storied career and previous multi-platinum achievements. It’s a record that will see SKUNK ANANSIE reclaim their place as one of the most exciting, visionary, and important bands in British music.
“When I really think about it, yes, we have made some good records in our time but it’s been a long time since we have made a great album. And that is the painful truth,” confesses Skin. “Understanding that, led us to making what I genuinely think is our greatest record yet.”
Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen released their brand new studio album Black Light / White Noise via BMG on Splatter vinyl, black vinyl, digipak CD and DSPs to widespread global acclaim last Friday (April 4th). Now following its release they have also just unveiled the lyric video for the track “Outlaw.”
“It’s been a minute since we got this record back from Jay Ruston’s studio and pressed the button for it to be mastered and the artwork created so I’m just proud for it to be out there,” admits Richie.
“Yeah, it feels like a lot has happened in that gap,” adds Adrian with overwhelming understatement. “I’m just excited for our fans to hear the rest of the tracks and see how it all sits together. It’s been another great experience working with Richie and playing much more with Julia and Bruno in the studio this time.”
Recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston, Black Light / White Noise showcases Adrian and Richie’s prodigious talents as songwriters, musicians and vocalists. The ten-track album is a truly magnificent collection of songs that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of their finest work to date.
Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, it not only features stratospheric guitar solos and phenomenal rock vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary bands and musicians (Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Cream, Free, Deep Purple) yet is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect harmony.
Deliciously varied, exquisitely composed and rounded out by a breadth of flavours that can only come with years of experience, Black Light / White Noise is undoubtedly going to be one of the most compelling rock albums of 2025.
