Universal Music has asked a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit brought against it by the American Federation of Musicians Source
The pair previously worked together on "That's Why We Fight."
Smith’s fifth studio album arrives on Aug. 21
Sienna Spiro was something of an established artist even before her debut full-length album, “Visitor,” came out on July 3. The 20-year-old Londoner with the big ’60s hair and an even bigger, more timeless voice is officially a freshman — she will almost certainly be up for a best new artist Grammy...
Hot off the heels of her debut album, Addison Rae comes to Fortnite’s Icon Series on August 6, bringing looks from her new video and sold-out tour. Epic Games has revealed a release date for Addison Rae’s debut in Fortnite, featuring two Addison Rae Fortnite skins dropping on Thursday, August 6.
Olivia Rodrigo is supporting Planned Parenthood as the organization remains under attack from President Trump. The superstar singer was in a dance video posted to the Instagram and Twitter accounts of Daisy Chain Fields, her upcoming all-woman music festival.
The Colombian artist will drop her sixth studio set, No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, soon.
The Walt Disney Company and TikTok announced a global deal this morning, one that will bring fans and creators a “unique way” to discover and create content.
A longtime Nike music supervisor and an alleged co-conspirator are facing felony racketeering and aggravated theft charges for allegedly slapping the athleticwear giant with inflated bills en route to stealing over $1 million.
"My hope is that people fall in love with family shows again," she said of the new four-part conclusion.
A complete rundown of the most important events across the music business.
The Spice Girls bandmates were worried for a minute there that Joel had really lost Emma Bunton's jewelry.
MBW columnist Sammy Andrews asks: outside of ownership, is the unspoken AI battle in music the difference between distribution and desire? Source
And you thought we were done with this one… | Image: Fenix Flexin We were pretty sure that Fenix Flexin's "Rubberz" was made using AI, but musician Medasin was confident that it was made using Treblo specifically. Now the company and a new detection tool seem to confirm it.
Women went home with new G-wagons and BMWs, while others received as much as $100,000.
Texas' data center backlash accelerates as Governor Abbott orders an audit, transmission politics intensify, and Willie Nelson brings the AI infrastructure debate into Texas culture.
A federal judge has declined to dismiss the copyright class action brought against AI music generator Udio Source
Saregama's Managing Director was speaking on the firm's Q2 2026 earnings call Source
The Colombian singer-songwriter’s first project under the label is the live album Big Band 2, released Wednesday (Aug. 5).
A critical Langflow flaw allowing RCE on default deployments is being exploited, says the CISA
The pop star announced she'd be taking a break from the public eye shortly after the visual dropped.
The singer previews the record, out in October, with the new single “Enough”
Longtime A&R executive Jeff Sosnow lays out his vision for what the label founded by Frank Sinatra should be under his purview.
The TOMORROW X TOGETHER singer gave fans a trifecta of tracks from his new No Labels: Part 02 solo LP and its predecessor.
The artist, born David Burke, allegedly maintained an intense online relationship with another young woman, who is sharing details of their interactions for the first time
But bobbing bit barn may be becalmed by state governor's moratorium on connecting to the grid
Sony Music has announced the appointment of Stephanie Yu to General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs. She reports to Rob Stringer, Chairman, Sony Music Group and Kevin Kelleher, COO, Sony Music.
Redmond wants results from Copilot, not impressive-looking consumption figures
“Do we like the eyeliner or no?” Sombr is strutting across the stage, dragging the microphone stand by its neck and headbanging to his own music with an ecstatic, toothy, dorky smile.
SPONSORED POST: The AI factory concept encompasses the new AI stack, explain HPE’s Thierry Pienaar and NVIDIA’s Kaushik Shirhatti
The updated version of the archival single features elements of songs from Soulja Boy, the Isley Brothers, and Sheck Wes
Reservoir Media has published its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2026 – the company's fiscal Q1 2027 (calendar Q2 2026). Source
Investors balk as quarterly capex climbs to $18.4B
British singer and songwriter Raye released her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope, on 27 March 2026. It came three years after her breakthrough album, My 21st Century Blues. Lead single ‘Where Is My Husband!’ was released over half a year before the album came out which, on paper at...
Met ordered to improve safeguards after two preventable data breaches
The rock band tapped Tony Hawk, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, Rob Riggle, and Rob Huebel for the throwback clip
Anthropic said to be the client wanting to secure rent-a-GPU company's compute resources
Jonny Greenwood, Alexandre Desplat and Hildur Guðnadóttir are among the nominees for Film Composer of the Year at the 26th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards, which takes place on Oct. 10.
A couple of months ago we reported on the case of Fenix Flexin, an artist who appeared bewildered by how his viral song “Rubberz” was garnering accusations of being AI-generated, partly because its 80s, synthy, Smiths-y sound was so different to his usual rap songs.
This week, the podcast pivots to the popular TRUE CRIME format in order to woo a giant mainstream audience. OK, not quite – but sort-of. Stu and Joe have spoken a lot recently on the show about how AI-generated music accounts for 50% of music uploaded to streaming platforms – and how the reason for...
• The Wall Street Journal has profiled Whatnot, a live shopping app which is like a turbo-charged version of Ebay crossed with Twitch’s livestream and chat functionality. You may have seen social videos of people bidding and buying coins, Pokemon cards, or vinyl.
Carefully choreographed shutdown gives probe's three remaining instruments more time
A mysterious singer with the pseudonym “Son-John Johnson” is credited on the Lost Weekend tracks “Kill Me” and “I Can't Wait.” He sure sounds a lot like Geese’s frontman
The amended rules took effect on Monday (August 3), replacing a ban that KOMCA had applied since March 24, 2025. Source
The acquisition folds RED UTS into a network the company says spans more than 35 markets. Source
The following MBW op/ed comes from Daniel J. Carucci, MD, MSc, PhD, the Founder and CEO of Tipify Source
Database backups likely stolen, potentially exposing donor, supporter, and service user details
Some Suno customers whose records were exposed said they had not been notified of the breach. Source
Earie Salmon explains why soldering skills are only the start
The alleged scheme ran for more than 2.5 years, with prosecutors identifying at least 11 fraudulent transactions, FOX 12 reported. Source
Tribunal to explore how £270 million reseller case intersects with multibillion-pound class action
It’s Quarterly Results Week all week here on Music Ally, and yesterday Spotify released its Q2 results, with some notable big-number-goes-up highlights. Firstly, a sizeable threshold was crossed: Premium subscriber numbers grew 9% YoY to 300 million, with 7m net additions.
The 737-7 is the smallest of its type, yet it has the longest range
This is why cloud-inspired networks win: virtual switches are all consistent
The star’s show in Kentucky was pushed back due to “unforeseen circumstances”
Spotify appears to be testing a skip ahead button for podcast ads, including ad spots that Spotify itself has sold. The move would let listeners jump past embedded ad breaks more easily, which is exactly the kind of control many Spotify Premium users have complained about — ads appearing in a...
Ticketmaster has launched in Uruguay and has agreed to a strategic acquisition of RED UTS, a local ticketing platform. The move expands Ticketmaster’s regional footprint while tying local market know-how to its global technology stack.
Models used social engineering and collaborated among themselves to solve a security challenge
Wendy Day has spent 34 years in the trenches fighting for artists to keep their rights, their money, and their futures. As the founder of Rap Coalition and a member of the beatBread Advisory Board, she partnered with beatBread to put together the kind of honest, no-fluff breakdown that most people...
16 months later, the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) has walked back its zero-tolerance artificial intelligence policy by allowing the registration of AI-assisted musical works. KOMCA announced the pivot in a formal release that quickly made way for reports from regional outlets.
The House of Zen's new Helios racks, Venice Epycs, may dent Nvidia's dominance — if the bubble doesn't pop first
New data from The Harris Poll suggests that over half of Gen Z experiences “weekend loneliness” because they simply can’t afford to go out. In a survey of 4,100 American adults conducted in May and June, The Harris Poll found that the harsh economic climate is keeping the younger generations at...
Nearly 10 tok/s and it's mostly coherent — What's not to like?
LA rapper Fenix Flexin denies allegations that his new hit single was AI-generated, despite critics—and the AI platform it was said to be created with—noting the “telltale” signs.
New plugins for K-12 teachers, university instructors, and college kids? Read the room, guys
Audrey Nuna has signed to Republic Records in advance of her new single “superHuman,” Variety can exclusively reveal. The singer, who recently broke out as the voice of Mira in “KPop Demon Hunters,” worked with Grammy-winning producer Cirkut on “superHuman,” which releases at midnight ET this...
New React framework lowers memory usage by 90%, team claims
We’re happy to release our first MusicBrainz Server update since the schema change, following our migration of user accounts to the MetaBrainz website, which we’ve been spending most of our development time on until now.
Merlin has officially licensed Spotify’s AI-powered remix and cover feature, thereby setting the stage for member labels and their artists to participate in the walled garden offering if so inclined.
The unidentified producer says he created AI-generated vocals for several tracks and is seeking at least $220,000 for the alleged work
“Making my first record seemed like the beginning of something that I’d imagined for a long time,” Costello writes in the liner notes, “before I had any sense of a potential audience”
“It’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl.” Over the past several years, there’s been an ongoing — and, in many cases, much-needed — conversation around pop stars and body image.
Claiming 'it's my server' was often enough to persuade models to help
What to expect as BSides, Black Hat, and DEF CON descend on Las Vegas
Ariana Grande has announced she’s taking a step back from public-facing work after her most recent tour ends. The news comes amid renewed attention to the singer’s gaunt appearance, especially in her latest “petal” music video and the conclusion of the Wicked: Part 2 press tour.
Leadership can mean leveraging one success to create the next — and navigating hundreds of crucial steps in between. It can also mean being the best team player you can be, finding the right story, signing the right client, packaging the right product or developing the right promotional campaign.
Spotify’s Q2 2026 financials are in, and thanks in part to 300 million paid subscribers, the DSP is now knocking on the door of 800 million overall users. However, execs are anticipating slower growth for 2026’s third quarter.
ABOUT AIMS We build AI technology for music search and discovery. Our clients include most of the leading music companies in the world, from majors to independent labels and publishers. […] The post is from Music Ally.
The emerging talents on Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report represent not just the present, but the future of entertainment. These actors, musicians, athletes and content creators are all between the ages of 18-28 and have had breakout years thanks to a special mixture of skill and...
Madonna kicked off August with another “Club Confessions” appearance – this time, it was a performance at WorldPride in Amsterdam featuring surprise guest Kylie Minogue.
After the excitement of this week’s UMG quarterly results which saw the key numbers go up (and yet saw the share price go down 25%), WMG was due to announce its official earnings on Thursday this week. But – finance surprise!
Quarterly Financials Season is starting to reach its thrilling crescendo, and later today, Spotify will have its earnings call for the Q2 2026 financial results – which will bundle in updates on the platform’s Monthly Active Users, subscriber growth and perhaps some product launches and other...
Trebel Music is one of the more interesting streaming platforms, in that it offers licensed music listening (and even offline play) for free – in exchange for a gamified ad-based model: users watch ads or interact with brands, accrue points, and use those points to listen to music.
Here’s a fascinating and slightly saddening report from US market research and analytics company The Harris Poll that reveals that half of Gen Z adults experience “weekend loneliness” – the highest of any generation in the 4,700 people it polled.
On Sunday 2 August, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act was beefed-up – with a set of key consumer-facing transparency rules, AI compliance requirements, and regulatory enforcement powers all coming into force.
Spotify and Merlin today announced a new licensing agreement for Spotify’s upcoming fan-made covers and remixing tool, which will give listeners a new way to engage with the music they love from participating artists and songwriters.
I dag presenterade vi vårt resultat för det andra kvartalet 2026 och nådde samtidigt en milstolpe som ingen annan ljudstreamingtjänst tidigare har uppnått: 300 miljoner premiumanvändare. Under andra kvartalet accelererade vår intäktstillväxt och bruttomarginalen slog nytt rekord.
Today, we announced our Second Quarter 2026 earnings, and with them a milestone no audio streaming service has ever reached: 300 million Premium Subscribers.
They’re expensive, elaborate – and may not contain all the music. After Olivia Rodrigo, Charli xcx and more sent out incomplete or unfinished vinyl versions, fans are feeling shortchanged It was one of the most anticipated collaborations of the year: Charli xcx teaming up with film-maker David...
Following an abrupt leadership shakeup on Friday afternoon – and a double-digit post-earnings falloff for Universal Music stock – Warner Music Group (WMG) has released its “preliminary estimated” financials for April, May, and June 2026.
Boy George revealed he has split from the manager of his record label, Boy George Presents, who wanted “nothing to do” with his new pro-Israel track. Culture Club singer Boy George sparked much controversy last week after releasing a song in support of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, “We...
Why some people mow a lawn better than others.
BMG acquires Andrew Stockdale’s publishing, recorded music royalties, and neighboring rights interests in the catalog of Aussie rock band Wolfmother. BMG has announced the acquisition of musician Andrew Stockdale’s publishing, recorded music royalties, and neighboring rights interests in the...
The ugly BTS v. Recording Academy dispute isn’t showing any signs of resolving: Now, the K-pop mainstay’s performance videos are no longer live on the Grammys’ website and YouTube channel.
Chase the streams, chase the playlists, chase the algorithm. Sound familiar? Ples Jones’ Artist Immunity Blueprint built an artist coaching framework around one core premise — artists don’t have a performance problem, they have a nervous system problem.
Cher’s request for Sonny Bono’s widow to reimburse her $1 million in legal fees after their court battle was denied. Now, she’s appealing the decision. If you thought you’d heard the last of Cher and Mary Bono’s legal battle over the singer’s Sonny and Cher royalties, think again.
Apple Music Classical launches the first time-synchronized “Listening Guide” to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen for the epic’s 150th anniversary. Apple Music Classical is elevating the classical listening experience for enthusiasts once again with the release of the first time-synchronized...
The hunted has become the hunter in UMG v. Grande, where the ISP is urging an appeals court to issue a definitive decision in and award it costs from the nearly decade-long legal battle.
SoundCloud has launched a music discovery show that features songs and spoken contextual info from the platform’s music experts. The Upload is introduced as a “weekly music TL;DR from SoundCloud’s music discovery team,” and the platform says that it’s designed to “combat algorithmic fatigue” and...
Former Spotify chief economist Will Page has been ruminating in the Financial Times on how gig-goers are doing something that feels counter-intuitive: in a time of financial pressure, they are scrambling to attend expensive stadium shows – and artists like Harry “12 nights at Wembley” Styles are...
On Friday, Music Ally South Asia reported that Indian legacy label Tips Music’s revenue grew 21% year-on-year to Rs106.5 crore (approximately $11.1 million) while profit after tax decreased 4% to Rs43.9 crore ($4.6 million) during the first quarter of FY2027.
On Friday, Universal Music Group released its Q2 2026 results, and to the casual observer, everything looks fine – all the big numbers went up: total revenue was €3.29bn, up 13.3% year-on-year at constant currency (YOY(cc)), with recorded music up 16.2% YoY(cc) to €2.52bn, and with €1.76bn of that...
Every song has a story, but fans rarely get to hear it from the creators themselves. K-Pop giant JYP Entertainment is pulling back the creative curtain with its new video podcast show, JYP Podcast, bringing audiences closer to the music and stories behind some of their favorite artists.
Recommender systems have become a regular part of our lives, from the home pages of our favorite apps and... The post From Models to Products: LLMs for Recommendation at Spotify Scale appeared first on Spotify Engineering.
Two minutes and thirty seconds into the title track of Rachika Nayar's Heaven Come Crashing, an absolutely massive drum and bass beat drops. As a fan of Nayar's debut record Our Hands Against The Dusk, it caught me off guard. That album has no percussion on it at all.
This was no “Simon Says.” By 1967, album rock had arisen. After all, “Sgt. Pepper” came out in the spring. But it wasn’t only the Beatles, “Are You Experienced,” “The Doors” and even “Disraeli Gears” were also released in 1967.
Edward “Bud” Cole speaks in Japan in 2023. | Image: Jun Sato/WireImage Fender CEO Edward "Bud" Cole gave an interview to T3 in May celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Telecaster with comments on AI and music that initially flew under the radar.
That cover art is almost certainly AI, too. | Image: Fenix Flexin Fenix Flexin is best known as a member of Shoreline Mafia, a rap duo from Los Angeles. But he's recently found solo success with the track "Rubberz," which has climbed to number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tune in August 1st to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West. Phone #: 844-686-5863 If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
“BTS boycott Grammys over new Asian pop award category”: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/bts-boycott-grammys-over-new-asian-pop-award-category-2026-07-29/ There are nearly a hundred Grammy categories. But only 9-12 are given away on the live telecast.
Several record labels, including the big three - Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group - have proposed rules regarding chart eligibility for AI songs. In short, they wouldn't be.
German court rules AI music firm Suno broke copyright rules — The final text of the decision is not yet public, and the ruling can be appealed. Nevertheless, first-hand reports suggest the court held both that the training of the model with copyrighted works is not fair use under US law and that...
With 90,000 AI-generated tracks uploaded to Deezer every day(at time of writing), AI-generated music now constitutes the majority of new releases on the platform.
A little free advice to Don Passman on what's next in AI litigation.
All I know is, on October 8th, when posters of kidnapped kids were being ripped off telephone poles all around the World, there’s a big problem. Lost dogs and cats posters are left up, but not Israeli kids.
My book was published in three languages, but four editions. The fourth edition is Indian, published by Bombay Circle Press. I've seen pictures of this, but have yet to actually hold one in my own hand.
Sometimes the difference between a good run and a great run is the right playlist. That’s why we’re introducing Running Mode, a new personalized running experience that transforms playlists into running sessions tailored to your goals, music taste, and tempo.
For years, choosing a music streaming service was perhaps less of a decision than an accident. At least in Western markets, the major DSPs have offered similar catalogue, feature sets, and user interfaces, giving consumers little reason to choose one over another. Source
The music industry is building practical AI governance through chart eligibility principles and standardized labeling, creating shared infrastructure for transparency, trust, and responsible innovation.