CA Attorney General Comes Out Swinging Ahead of Live Nation Antitrust Trial Kickoff — Judge Rejects Last-Minute Stay Request, Jury...
A federal judge rejected Live Nation’s last‑minute bid to pause the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed as scheduled. Jury selection concluded with twelve jurors sworn in, setting the stage for a six‑week trial that will run five days a week. California Attorney General Rob Bonta seized the pre‑trial moment to label Live Nation’s ticketing practices illegal and monopolistic, citing higher fees and limited venue options. Simultaneously, the FTC continues a separate BOTS Act action against Ticketmaster, underscoring mounting regulatory scrutiny.
Too Lost Launches Profile Defender to Shield Artists From AI-Driven Fakes
Too Lost has introduced Profile Defender, a real‑time monitoring tool that flags and removes unauthorized AI‑generated tracks from major streaming services. The feature responds to recent high‑profile incidents where fake releases appeared on Spotify under the names of Blaze Foley,...
German Music Market Experiences 2025 Growth Slowdown As Streaming Gains Fail to Offset Another Physical Decline
Germany’s recorded music market posted €2.42 billion in 2025, marking a modest 2.3% year‑over‑year increase – the slowest expansion in several years. Streaming revenue rose 3.8% to €2.08 billion, representing 84.4% of digital income, while physical sales slipped 5.9% as CD revenue...
Lyor Cohen Isn’t Your Best Friend — But He’s Getting Serious Results at YouTube Music
Lyor Cohen’s aggressive push at YouTube Music is beginning to close the gap with Amazon Music, as the platform posted the fastest paid‑subscriber growth among U.S. streaming services in 2025. Although YouTube Music still holds less than 9% market share...
It Turns Out ClicknClear Is Fending Off an Ugly Lawsuit Filed by a Different ‘Niche’ Licensing Specialist — Judge Grants...
A New York federal judge granted ClicknClear’s motion to dismiss Tresóna Multimedia’s false‑advertising lawsuit, ruling that the company’s statements about required music licenses are non‑actionable opinions of law. The dismissal does not bar Tresóna from filing an amended complaint, which...
Spotify Stock Struggles Continue — Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim, and Others Remain Bullish Despite Target Price Reductions
Spotify’s share price has slipped roughly 33% over the past six months, hovering around $465. Despite the decline, Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim have retained buy ratings, adjusting their price targets to $650 and $600 respectively, which still suggest 30‑35% upside....
SACEM Signs ‘Landmark Agreement’ With the Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association (EMRA)—The First Collective Management Organization in the UAE
SACEM has signed a landmark representation agreement with the Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association (EMRA), establishing the UAE's first collective management organization for music rights. The partnership creates a non‑profit framework that will collect and distribute royalties for authors,...
Five Years Later, Spotify Points to Strong Growth in Nigeria — Including a 164% YoY Listening Increase and 1.4 Billion+...
Spotify disclosed that Nigerian users logged over 1.4 billion listening hours in 2025, driving playlist creations past 25 million. The platform reports a 163% year‑over‑year increase in average listening since 2021 and a staggering 5,022% surge in Afrobeats consumption. Local artist presence...
Taco Bell Taps Myke Towers In a Multi-Million Dollar Ad Push Across the US, Latin America, and Spain
Taco Bell announced a multi‑million‑dollar partnership with Latin music star Myke Towers, integrating his track “Sunblock” into a new Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas commercial. The campaign rolls out across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Latin America/Caribbean region and...
Ramsey Elkholy’s Monotronic Sues Pangea Entertainment Over Lack of Promotion In Alleged Breach of Contract
Ramsey Elkholy’s indie project Monotonic has sued A&R Worldwide’s Pangea Entertainment for allegedly breaching a year‑long marketing and consulting contract. The lawsuit claims Pangea failed to provide promised creative input, bi‑weekly strategy calls, artwork support, and placement of the band’s...
Imagine Dragons Officially Exit Wasserman as the Artist Mass-Exodus Intensifies
Imagine Dragons has officially left talent agency Wasserman, joining a wave of departures linked to the agency’s scandalous ties to Ghislaine Maxwell. The band’s 2025 tour generated $241.6 million, highlighting the financial impact of losing a top‑grossing act. Wasserman, now owned...
Latest Music Industry Hires: Culture Wave, Warner Chappell, Qobuz, Hybe, KHS America, Secretly Distribution, More
The music industry saw a wave of senior appointments and hires across multiple firms as of February 20, 2026. Culture Wave added several managers and a digital marketing coordinator while promoting an artist manager. Warner Chappell Music Italy elevated internal A&R...
14 Months Later, UMG’s Virgin Officially Wraps Its Downtown Buyout — Pieter Van Rijn Shifts to COO, Justin Kalifowitz Steps...
Universal Music Group’s Virgin Music Group has completed its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Group, finalizing the deal 14 months after announcement and shortly after EU approval. Pieter van Rijn, former Downtown head, is appointed COO of Virgin Music, reporting...
AI Sample Generator Just 4 Noise Closes $1 Million Round: ‘We Are Scaling the Future Foundation Model for AI Instrument...
Berlin‑based AI sample generator Just 4 Noise has closed a $1 million funding round, bringing its total backers to BADideas.fund, Sound Hub Denmark and others. The startup now serves roughly 4,000 users, including high‑profile producers like Pan‑Pot and Jamie XX, and offers...
