Streaming Fraud Doesn’t Respect Silos. Neither Should We.
Merlin’s licensing deal with TikTok ended in October 2024, prompting the rights collective to double down on fighting streaming fraud. The company has shifted to a proactive, automated approach, building a cross‑platform database to flag illegitimate activity. Over the past two years Merlin has recovered more than $20 million in misdirected royalties and is tightening membership standards. Lexton calls for industry‑wide collaboration, warning that silos hinder effective fraud mitigation.
UMG’s Michael Nash Takes Aim at ‘False Narrative of Artist Replacement’ by AI – and 3 Other Things We Learned...
Universal Music Group’s EVP and chief digital officer Michael Nash joined Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava at the HumanX AI conference to outline UMG’s AI strategy. He highlighted a growing roster of AI partners—including BandLab, Nvidia and the newly announced Splice...
Spotify Strikes Deal with National Independent Venue Association to Boost Indie Venues in the US
Spotify has teamed up with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) for a year‑long program that will spotlight independent music venues on its platform throughout 2026. The deal adds the Certified Live Independent seal to venue pages, promotes venues via...
Chris Marking Appointed Executive Vice President, International Venue Sponsorship at Live Nation
Live Nation announced the appointment of Chris Marking as Executive Vice President of International Venue Sponsorship, a role that will steer naming‑rights, founding partnerships, and broader sponsorship strategy for venues outside North America. Marking, a veteran of AEG with experience...
India Added Nearly 4m Paid Music Streaming Subscriptions in 2025, Taking Its Total to 14.4m, According to New Report
India’s paid‑music streaming market added nearly 4 million new subscribers in 2025, lifting paid users to 14.4 million and generating ₹10.3 billion ($118 million) in subscription revenue. Overall online music listeners grew to 178 million, but only about 8% are paying. The broader music‑industry revenue...
Pirate Site Anna’s Archive Hit with $322M Default Judgment over Music Scraping — but Will Spotify and Record Labels Ever...
A New York federal judge granted a $322 million default judgment against the shadow library Anna’s Archive for scraping millions of Spotify tracks and distributing them via BitTorrent. The lawsuit, filed by Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment...
Mark Pitts Exits as President of RCA Records, Launches New Management Venture COFVNDERS
Mark Pitts announced his departure as President of RCA Records, transitioning to a consultancy role with RCA and Sony Music while retaining ties to artists he helped develop, such as Chris Brown and Miguel. He simultaneously launched COFVNDERS, a New‑York and...
Concord Forms Strategic Venture with Steven Victor’s Victor Victor Worldwide, Expands Hip-Hop Footprint
Concord announced a multi‑year strategic venture with Steven Victor’s Victor Victor Worldwide, aiming to expand its hip‑hop footprint and tap new audiences for VVW’s culturally defining catalog, which includes Pop Smoke and Ski Mask the Slump God. The partnership combines Concord’s global distribution...
Larry Mestel to Receive City of Hope’s 2026 Spirit of Life Award
Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music, has been named the 2026 recipient of City of Hope’s Spirit of Life award. The honor will be presented at a gala on October 27, 2026 at Los Angeles’ Pacific Design...
Tim Miles Appointed EVP of BMG’s Global SYNC+ Division
BMG has named former Warner Music Group executive Tim Miles as EVP of its newly launched Global SYNC+ division. Miles, who oversaw WMG’s sync operations in more than 25 markets, will report to Chief Strategy Officer Johannes von Schwarzkopf and lead...
Meet the Swiss Distro Company Banking on Agentic AI to Power the ‘Next Generation’ of Indie Labels.
Swiss tech firm iGroove, founded by former rapper Dennis Hausammann, has rebuilt its platform from the ground up to embed agentic AI in a product called Label OS. The AI‑driven system automates core label functions—distribution, royalty accounting, payments, contracts and recoupments—while...
Canada’s SOCAN Paid Out USD $366m to Rightsholders in 2025, Warns AI Is ‘Placing Mounting Pressure’ on Livelihoods
SOCAN reported CAD 587.1 million (≈ $420 million) in 2025 revenue, a 5 % rise driven by digital streaming. The society distributed CAD 511.9 million (≈ $366 million) in royalties, slightly below the previous year, with $131 million for domestic use, $90 million from international rights, and $8.4 million from reproduction. SOCAN...
BTS Label BigHit Music Asks US Court to Unmask X User Who Leaked ‘ARIRANG’ Before Release
HYBE’s BigHit Music has petitioned a California federal court to subpoena X Corp. for the identity of the anonymous @jwngkcck account that leaked BTS’s "ARIRANG" album ahead of its March 20 release. The leak threatened the label’s promotional strategy despite the...
HYBE Moves to Crack Down on Bootleg BTS Merch Ahead of US Tour Dates
HYBE, the parent of BTS, filed a federal lawsuit in Florida to obtain a temporary restraining order and seizure authority against unnamed bootleggers selling counterfeit BTS merchandise around the group’s U.S. tour dates. The complaint targets T‑shirts, posters and other...
The Music Industry Has Long Prioritized Creative Output over Operational Foundations. AI Does Not Alter that Imbalance; It Exposes It.
The music industry’s long‑standing emphasis on creative output is being upended by AI’s operational impact. Companies are deploying machine‑learning to improve forecasting, inventory management, royalty anomaly detection, and media‑mix modeling, mirroring advances in banking, retail, and travel. Over the past...
