Your daily drop May 14th

🎶 Music Industry & Artist News

Burna Boy to Headline UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show
Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy will headline the 2025 UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show in Berlin, produced by Pepsi — another major crossover win for African pop.

BMG Acquires Lee "Scratch" Perry’s Catalog
BMG has acquired the full publishing and recording catalog of dub pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry, continuing the trend of major firms investing in cultural legacy catalogs.

Megan Thee Stallion Launches Hot Girl Summer Tour with Amazon Music
Megan’s first-ever arena tour kicks off with Amazon Music as a partner — complete with exclusive livestreams, merch drops, and fan-first digital experiences.

🧪 Music Tech & Innovation

YouTube Expands AI-Powered “Dream Track” Experiment
YouTube is now letting fans generate full-length AI tracks using licensed voice models from artists like Charli XCX and T-Pain. The next phase of Dream Track invites users to submit original lyrics.

Shazam Debuts AR Visual Recognition for Live Events
Shazam is piloting a new AR feature that scans visuals at concerts and festivals to unlock exclusive content — like setlists, merch drops, and bonus audio clips.

📺 Streaming & Entertainment (Music-Focused)

Netflix Orders Series Based on Spotify’s True Crime Playlist
Netflix is turning Spotify’s viral “Criminal Records” playlist into a scripted drama, weaving real crime themes into music-driven storytelling.

Vevo Launches Vertical Video Format for Music Premieres
Vevo is going vertical. A new format made for mobile drops this week — tailored for TikTok-native audiences and short-form premieres.

🏛️ U.S. Politics

NEA Warns of Creative Workforce Collapse
The NEA’s latest report warns that declining funding and economic instability could lead to a mass exodus of artists from creative work. They’re urging Congress to step in with new cultural workforce policies.