The Weeknd dropped the new track Heartless. The track jumped to #3 at iTunes. It’s his first new music since the 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy and his 2016 LP Starboy. The Weeknd will star in the upcoming film Uncut Gems, featuring Adam Sandler, due in December.

Billboard is finally addressing the controversial practice of bundling albums and merchandise. Almost every No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart are bundled with merchandise or tickets. Nearly every artist have bundled albums with merchandise including Celine Dion, Luke Combs, Kanye West, SuperM, Post Malone, and Taylor Swift.

The new rules according to Billboard, “in order for an album sale to be counted as part of a merchandise/album bundle, all the items in the bundle must also be available for purchase concurrently and individually on the same website. In addition, the merchandise item sold on its own will have to be priced lower than the bundle which includes both the merchandise and the album.”

Some artist will see album sales plummet especially for those who heavily rely on merchandise.

Look out for the Australian based Maddy Rowe that goes under the moniker GENES . She’s inspired by the likes of Sigrid, The 1975 and Carly Rae Jepsen, and has written songs for Maribelle and Sam Bluer. She released the debut single ‘Give It Away’ which premiered on Ash London Live on the Hit Network. Give it a stream.

Spotify will launch the first-ever music awards — with the winners based on streams.

“Your plays, patterns, and habits will help determine the award categories, finalists, and winners for the Spotify Awards by providing a true reflection of what fans are listening to,” Spotify said. “You can get excited for an awards ceremony that actually speaks to what the people are streaming.”

The goal of the Spotify Awards is to encourage fans to vote with their ears, by streaming as much music by their favorites artists on the platform. “Save the date — and get streaming,” Spotify said.

Los Angeles based Golda releases Wish I Was Someone Else which was added to our Indie Invaders Playlist. The song is pretty awesome, especially if you’re a fan of melody and electro ballads. Influenced by the likes of Lorde, YEBBA and Phoebe Bridgers, the latest track comes off her forthcoming self-titled EP. She has a really unique backstory as she grew up in both Chicago and San Diego to Ukrainian parents and honed on her songwriting skills while taking a trip to India. Give it a listen.