Numlock News: August 13, 2025 • Napster, Swiftian Numerology, Frankenstein

Aug 13, 2025

By Chris Dalla Riva

Walt is out on vacation, and filling in today is Chris Dalla Riva, writer of the excellent newsletter

and author of the forthcoming book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. Dalla Riva’s debut book is available for pre-order. It’s a data-driven history of popular music that he wrote while listening to every number one hit in history.

The Other Shoe Falls

Though music abounds on short-form video apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels, the right to use that music is generally off-limits to brands. Yes, Charli D'Amelio can dance to whatever she likes, but if a brand wants to use a song, they have to pay up. Sony Music Entertainment recently sued shoe retailer DSW for “rampant infringement” of its songs in social media ads. According to the suit, DSW used at least “122 of SME’s sound recordings in more than 170 unauthorized video promotions.” Those designer shoes might be getting a little bit more expensive if a judge rules in SME’s favor.

Murray Stassen, MusicBusinessWorldwide

The Reports of Napster’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated

Remember Napster? In the early 2000s, the file-sharing service was such a thorn in the side of the music industry that the industry sued it out of existence. Kind of. The Napster IP has transferred hands many times over the last two decades. It’s currently a music streaming service that, until recently, was in generally good standing with the industry. Problems emerged last week when Sony sued “Rhapsody International, the parent company of streaming service Napster, for $9.2 million in licensing fees and unpaid royalties, as well as a potential $36 million in damages from copyright infringement.” The moral of this story is that people should really stop messing with Sony.

Walden Green, Pitchfork

Swiftian Numerology

Taylor Swift should have put down the guitar and picked up a math textbook. The world-conquering artist just seems to love numbers more than any of her contemporaries. Earlier this week, she announced her 12th album at 12:12 a.m. shortly after sharing a carousel of 12 photos on her Instagram profile. Industry insiders wait with mouths agape to see if Swift will embrace the devilish number 13 for her next album or if she will skip it like a superstitious elevator operator in a countryside hotel.

Julia Jacobs, The New York Times

Korea Conquers the World

“Golden” (a song by animated K-pop group HUNTR/X from the popular Netflix show KPop Demon Hunters) is sitting at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming only the 9th song by a Korean act to get to number one. Furthermore, HUNTR/X joins The Chipmunks, The Archies and the cast of Encanto as the 4th animated group to make it to music’s promised land.

Gary Trust, Billboard

Music is Now (Sadly) Finance

After making money off the backs of musicians selling their catalogs over the last few years, labels and investment groups have sought to further financialize the music industry. Recently, “Music rights company Concord issued “$1.75 billion in bonds backed by more than one million music copyrights.” So, if you’ve ever dreamed of investing in Creed, you will now be welcomed to do such with arms wide open.

Daniel Tencer, MusicBusinessWorldwide

Bad Boy Law Suits

After dodging the most serious RICO charges, Sean Combs is now on the offensive. The rap mogul is now “seeking no less than $100 million in damages” for the “severe reputational harm” caused by allegations made by Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell and NewsNation parent company Nexstar. Combs remains in jail awaiting sentencing from his first trial.

Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter

Frankenstein is ALIVE

One of Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstein” guitars is set to head to auction. Two months after the shredder died in 2020, three of these guitars sold for a combined $422,000. In 2023, the instrument he played in the “Hot For Teacher” video fetched $3.9 million. This auction is also set to reach several million dollars.

David Browne, Rolling Stone

Preorder Chris’ book here! And be sure to follow his newsletter:

Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news.

Check out the Numlock Book Club and Numlock award season supplement.

Previous Sunday subscriber editions: Dark Roofs · Geothermal · Stitch · Year of the Ring · Person Do Thing · Fun Factor · Low Culture · Romeo vs. Juliet · Traffic Cam Photobooth · Money in Politics ·