Culture

Music Catalog Buying Rebounds in 2026 With Valuation Multiples Back at 12-18x

Sony's 45,000-song Recognition purchase, the $1.4 billion Warner-Bain venture and Primary Wave's $200 million Britney Spears deal mark a 2026 rebound in music-catalog buying, with valuation multiples back to 12-18x.

Sneakers

Stephen Curry Signs 10-Year Shoe Deal With Li-Ning After Under Armour Split

Stephen Curry signed a 10-year endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning on June 1 — globalizing his Curry Brand across basketball, lifestyle and golf after a 12-year run with Under Armour ended in November.

Culture

Gap Launches FIFA Classics, an Officially Licensed Football Capsule With Ouigi Theodore

Gap's FIFA Classics is an officially FIFA-licensed, vintage-inspired football capsule creative-directed by Ouigi Theodore — national-team jerseys, tees, hoodies and hats across eight countries, the licensed companion to his OuiGap line.

Culture

Gap Launches OuiGap Football Collection With Ouigi Theodore on May 29

Gap's new OuiGap collection, designed by The Brooklyn Circus founder Ouigi Theodore, turns global football style into a diaspora story — anchored by a recurring '74 motif honoring Haiti's 1974 World Cup team.

Culture

Sony Music Publishing to Buy Blackstone's Recognition Music Catalog of 45,000 Songs

Sony Music Publishing agreed to acquire Blackstone's Recognition Music Group — more than 45,000 songs tied to Beyoncé, Fleetwood Mac, Rihanna and Lady Gaga — in a deal Bloomberg reported at $3.5–4 billion.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals, Golden Knights-Hurricanes Stanley Cup, Nike Kobe 9 'Draft Day', and GitHub Copilot Metered Billing — June 1, 2026

Title week arrives: the Spurs host the Knicks in NBA Finals Game 1 Wednesday, Vegas and Carolina open the Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, the Nike Kobe 9 'Draft Day' drops at $190, and GitHub Copilot shifts to metered AI Credits billing.

Culture

Jay-Z Headlines Roots Picnic in First Solo Show in Seven Years

Jay-Z headlined the 20th Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30 — his first U.S. solo headlining show in over seven years — running through a 30-song set capped by a freestyle aimed at Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Culture

'Backrooms' Opens to $81 Million Domestic, A24's Biggest Debut Ever

A24's 'Backrooms' opened to $81 million domestically and $118 million worldwide — the studio's biggest debut ever, making 20-year-old Kane Parsons the youngest filmmaker to top the box office.

Culture

The Ordinary Halts Its Free Brooklyn Bus Three Days After Launch

The Ordinary's free Brooklyn shuttle between Domino and Prospect parks — pitched as a two-week service — halted Friday, three days after launch, as the skincare brand ran into the city's bus-permit process.

Culture

Aimé Leon Dore's Spring/Summer 2026 Graphic Tees Feature Alekos Fassianos Artwork

Aimé Leon Dore's Spring/Summer 2026 graphic tees carry artwork by the late Greek painter Alekos Fassianos, a nod to founder Teddy Santis' heritage. The Fassianos Portrait Tee retails for $85.

Intelligence Brief

The Intelligence Brief: Anthropic Passes OpenAI, the Knicks Reach Their First Finals Since 1999, and Fertitta Revives the Houston Comets — May 30, 2026

Anthropic's $965B round vaults it past OpenAI, Tilman Fertitta's $300M buy turns the Connecticut Sun back into the Houston Comets, and the Knicks reach their first Finals since 1999 — a week capital paid a premium to own proven identity rather than build it.

Culture

Pollock's 'Number 7A, 1948' Sells for $181.2M at Christie's, a Record for the Artist

Jackson Pollock's Number 7A, 1948 sold for $181.2 million at Christie's, nearly tripling the artist's auction record, as the house's May sales topped $1.1 billion.