The RIAA's mid-year report puts U.S. recorded music revenue at $6 billion, but the acceleration came from CDs, vinyl and sync licensing. Subscriptions, where hip-hop and R&B live, grew slowest.

Shay Lia and KAYTRANADA reunite as co-billed artists on “SO GOOD,” returning to a creative partnership that helped establish both artists. The seven-year reunion narrative, however, needs a little context.

Joe is preparing his first album since 2016, pairing his R&B foundation with live instrumentation and an 80-piece Budapest orchestra. The independently released project could begin its rollout with a single before the end of 2026.

Ye is extending his 2026 U.S. run with stadium concerts in Houston, Arlington and Glendale. Tickets go on general sale September 10.

A Grammy nomination in 2020, four EPs, a label exit and a two-year silence. Then Tiana Major9 made November Scorpio, and the August deluxe added two of its best songs.

Drake has set September 15 for FOMO on YouTube, extending a 2026 run that already produced three albums, a No. 1 single and a pile of Billboard records.

Daley will release Strange Nature on September 18, ending an eight-year stretch without an official release cycle and returning with Marsha Ambrosius, Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold and Yussef Dayes in the album’s orbit.

Beyoncé celebrates 20 years of B’Day with a sprawling 31-song deluxe edition featuring unreleased recordings, international rarities, Spanish-language reworks and a new Maluma collaboration.

New Music Friday, September 4 brings Nemzzz’s LOCKED IN with Travis Scott, Karrahbooo’s debut mixtape, and new albums from Dizzee Rascal and Mykki Blanco.

BeatStars has paid creators more than $450 million and standardized almost none of the contracts behind it. A working artist's guide to what a beat lease actually grants, where the publishing goes, and who gets sued over the sample.

Lalah Hathaway’s nine-song Made In Chicago arrives October 1, using 47th Street, Quiet Storm memory and family history to connect her own story to Donny Hathaway and the Great Migration.

Jodeci’s Forever My Lady 35th Anniversary Tour was first announced in July, but the run has already expanded. A second Charlotte homecoming show now closes the 2026 itinerary.