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France’s Spotify Rival Deezer Loses Ground on its Stock Market Debut

Jeronimo Folgueira, CEO of French music streaming platform Deezer, and Daniel Marhely, co-founder of Deezer, pose during the opening bell ceremony for the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the balcony of the Euronext stock exchange at La Defense business and financial district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
Jeronimo Folgueira, CEO of French music streaming platform Deezer, and Daniel Marhely, co-founder of Deezer, pose during the opening bell ceremony for the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the balcony of the Euronext stock exchange at La Defense business and financial district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
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France’s Spotify Rival Deezer Loses Ground on its Stock Market Debut

Jeronimo Folgueira, CEO of French music streaming platform Deezer, and Daniel Marhely, co-founder of Deezer, pose during the opening bell ceremony for the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the balcony of the Euronext stock exchange at La Defense business and financial district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)
Jeronimo Folgueira, CEO of French music streaming platform Deezer, and Daniel Marhely, co-founder of Deezer, pose during the opening bell ceremony for the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the balcony of the Euronext stock exchange at La Defense business and financial district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, July 5, 2022. (Reuters)

Seven years after an aborted flotation, French music streaming platform Deezer failed to attract much investor interest for its Paris market debut and its shares fell 11% in early dealing on Tuesday.

Deezer opened at 8.50 euros, before heading down to 7.950 euros per share by 0739 GMT.

Deezer and its rivals represent a shift in the music industry away from buying and downloading tracks to listening online to songs stored remotely.

"The sector is super competitive: There are multiple services (Amazon Prime, Apple Music etc.) which are run by large US companies with very deep pockets and strong ecosystems that can subsidize their business with other income streams and therefore they do not depend on the success of their music-platforms unlike "pure-play" companies do," Manuel Mühl, DZ Bank analyst said.

"In this sector we prefer investing into content (the music labels) vs. platforms that have to pay for that content so that they may distribute and monetize it over ads and subs," he added.

In April, Deezer announced plans for a stock market listing in Paris in a deal valuing the business at just over 1 billion euros ($1 billion), with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), 12PO, set up for the deal.

In 2015, Deezer had to postpone initial IPO plans due to market conditions.

Deezer's larger rivals include Spotify, which carried out its initial public offering in 2018.

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Entertainment

Green Day to Open 60th Super Bowl with Anniversary Ceremony Celebrating Generations of MVPs

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (AP)
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (AP)
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Green Day to Open 60th Super Bowl with Anniversary Ceremony Celebrating Generations of MVPs

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (AP)
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (AP)

The NFL is marking the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl with a hometown opening act.

Green Day will kick off the big game with an opening ceremony Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the league announced Sunday. The performance will celebrate six decades of the championship's history, with the band helping usher generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field.

The trio, who formed in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area and are made up of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, are expected to perform a selection of their best-known anthems as part of the tribute.

“We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard!” lead singer Armstrong said. “We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”

“Celebrating 60 years of Super Bowl history with Green Day as a hometown band, while honoring the NFL legends who’ve helped define this sport, is an incredibly powerful way to kick off Super Bowl LX,” said Tim Tubito, the league's senior director of event and game presentation. “As we work alongside NBC Sports for this opening ceremony, we look forward to creating a collective celebration for fans in the stadium and around the world.”

The opening ceremony will take place ahead of the pregame entertainment, in which Charlie Puth is to perform the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will sing “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones will deliver “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Entertainment

The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
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The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)

After a nearly four-year musical hiatus, the K-pop giants BTS are back. Well, almost.

On Thursday morning, the entertainment company BigHit Music shared on social media that the septet — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — will release a new album on March 20 titled “ARIRANG.” It is their fifth album.

So, what can listeners expect?

In addition to news of the album title, the retailer Target announced it was partnering with BTS for exclusive preorder editions of “ARIRANG.” Starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, fans can preorder 10 different vinyl album editions. And for fans of CDs, there are two exclusive editions with collectible photocards.

Other than that, details are limited. BigHit Music shared a link on social media Thursday morning that led to WeVerse, the online fan platform owned by BTS management company HYBE. The webpage included international pre-order details for “ARIRANG” but appeared to omit all album artwork.

Earlier this month, BigHit Music shared a somewhat cryptic note on X: “March 20 comeback confirmed.” It wasn't much to go off, but it did further confirm news from last summer, when the group teased a world tour and announced that a new album would be released in the spring of 2026. At the time, they said they would begin working on the project in July 2025.

On Tuesday, the band announced a 2026-2027 world tour, kicking off in South Korea in April and running through March 2027 with over 70 dates across Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe.

This marks the group’s first headline performances since their 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour. See the full tour dates here.

All seven members of BTS were tasked with completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18-28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea.

The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges.

Rapper Suga was the last group member to be released — from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose because of a shoulder injury. That was in June 2025. The six others served in the army.

BTS tiered their enlistments, giving ample time for its members to focus on solo projects while the group was on a break.

Jin, the oldest member, was the first to enlist in 2022. He was also the first to be discharged, in June 2024.

Entertainment

Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
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Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)

A criminal complaint filed by two former employees of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias accuses him of "human trafficking" and "forced labor", according to advocacy groups supporting the women.

The women allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said late Tuesday.

The organizations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor" and "crimes against sexual freedom".

Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off," according to testimony collected by the two groups.

One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca, who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.

"I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible," she said, according to a statement by Women's Link.

The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.

Spain's Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, has called for "a full investigation" into the allegations.

Iglesias, 82, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.

Iglesias has not publicly responded to the allegations.