Ed Sheeran’s Lawyers Push to End Remaining ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Copyright Case
US Supreme Court declined to hear the 2018 Ed Sheeran copyright appeal, but a second lawsuit filed by Structured Asset Sales in 2020 remains pending in the Southern District of New York. Sheeran’s attorneys argue the case should be dismissed because SAS’s 2020 copyright registration for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” is invalid, as SAS is not the legal owner. The motion contends SAS only holds a royalty interest, not authorship, and therefore lacked authority to register the work. If the court grants reconsideration, the final chapter of the “Thinking Out Loud” dispute could close.
Live Nation Reaches Settlement with DOJ in Antitrust Battle, Politico Reports
Live Nation Entertainment reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a high‑profile antitrust case that threatened to split Ticketmaster from its parent. The agreement requires a roughly $200 million payment to participating states and mandates structural reforms, including...
From Sir Lucian Grainge on AI and Downtown, to Create Raising $450M at a $2.2B Valuation… It’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up
Universal Music Group reported 9% year‑over‑year growth, highlighting AI partnerships and the integration of its Downtown Music acquisition. Create Music Group closed a $450 million financing round, valuing the company at $2.2 billion. Warner Music Group’s CEO framed AI as a new...
Kobalt Inks Worldwide Sub Publishing and Admin Deal with the UK’s Sync Music Global
UK‑based indie publisher Sync Music Global has entered a worldwide sub‑publishing and administration agreement with Kobalt. The deal gives Kobalt responsibility for global administration of Sync’s catalog and includes a joint venture to co‑sign writers and accelerate market expansion. Sync’s...
Suicideboys Sued in the UK by Rough Trade and Beggars Music over Alleged Unauthorized Sample (Report)
US hip‑hop duo $uicideboy$ faces a lawsuit in the UK after allegedly sampling composer Mica Levi’s BAFTA‑nominated score for the film Under the Skin without permission. The disputed track, “What the Fuck is Happening,” contains a 1‑minute‑23‑second excerpt of Levi’s...
Sir Lucian Grainge Talks AI Strategy, Downtown, D2C, Superfans, and More on UMG’s Latest Earnings Call
Universal Music Group reported a near‑9% year‑over‑year increase in both revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for 2025, with Q4 revenue hitting €3.605 billion, a 10.6% rise at constant currency. The earnings call highlighted four strategic pillars—artist services, geographic expansion, super‑fan initiatives, and...
UMG Puts US Listing Plans on Hold
Universal Music Group announced it is putting its planned secondary listing on a U.S. exchange on hold, citing turbulent market conditions that have created a valuation dislocation. The decision follows a confidential Form F‑1 filing and a $500 million commitment from Pershing...
Spain’s Recorded Music Market Grew 13.7% in 2025… with Subscription Streaming Revenues up 19.2% YoY
Spain’s recorded music market posted €409.5 million in wholesale revenue for 2025, up 13.7 % year‑on‑year. Subscription streaming drove most growth, generating €214 million and rising 19.2 % YoY, representing 71.3 % of streaming income. Physical formats rebounded, with vinyl sales up 44.9 % and overall...
Universal Music Generated $4.19B in Q4, up 10.6% YoY – Driven by Taylor Swift, KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack, Olivia Dean,...
Universal Music Group posted Q4 2025 revenue of €3.605 billion ($4.19 billion), a 10.6% year‑over‑year increase at constant currency. Recorded‑music revenue climbed 13.9% to €2.769 billion, led by a 7.7% rise in subscription streaming and a 21.3% jump in physical sales driven by vinyl....
Andrea Czapary Martin to Exit as CEO of the UK’s PRS for Music at the End of 2026
PRS for Music announced that CEO Andrea Czapary Martin will step down at the end of 2026. Martin, who joined in 2019, led the society through the pandemic, launched an Emergency Relief Fund, and oversaw a move to a new...
Idris Elba-Owned Indie Label 7Wallace Strikes Strategic Partnership with Nas’ Mass Appeal Records
Idris Elba’s independent label 7Wallace has entered a strategic partnership with Nas’ Mass Appeal Records, creating a transatlantic platform for co‑releases, cross‑market distribution, and joint music‑film projects. The alliance builds on a prior collaboration on Slick Rick’s *VICTORY* album and its accompanying...
South Korea’s Music Industry Unites to Declare ‘War’ on AI Copyright Infringement
South Korea’s six leading music‑industry bodies have formed a coalition to combat AI‑driven copyright infringement, declaring a state of emergency and a "war" on unauthorized use. The group, chaired by KOMCA president Lee Si‑ha, issued a joint declaration demanding consent‑based...
Apple Music Launches AI Transparency Tags — but only if Labels and Distributors Declare Them
Apple Music announced Transparency Tags, a new metadata requirement that forces record labels and distributors to label AI‑generated artwork, tracks, compositions, and music videos. The tags are optional for now but will become mandatory for future deliveries, placing disclosure responsibility...
Charlie Puth Joins AI Music Creation Platform Moises as Chief Music Officer
Charlie Puth has been appointed Chief Music Officer of AI music platform Moises. Moises, backed by $52 million total funding and a recent $40 million Series A led by Connect Ventures, claims over 70 million users across 33 languages. The startup differentiates itself...
Michael Riggs Promoted to SVP, Licensing & Income Tracking at Sony Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing has elevated Michael Riggs to Senior Vice President of Licensing & Income Tracking, expanding his oversight to licensing, sync administration, global income tracking, and client audit teams. Based in Nashville, Riggs will focus on strengthening tracking operations...
Sony Sued by Lit, the Band Behind Pop-Punk Hit ‘My Own Worst Enemy,’ over Alleged Unpaid Streaming Royalties
Lit, the band behind the 1999 hit “My Own Worst Enemy,” has sued Sony Music Entertainment for allegedly underpaying more than $800,000 in streaming royalties. The lawsuit claims Sony applied a flat 14% rate instead of the contract‑specified net‑receipts formula...
Damon Whiteside to Step Down as Academy of Country Music CEO
Damon Whiteside will step down as CEO of the Academy of Country Music in June 2026, transitioning to CEO Emeritus for the remainder of the year. During his six‑and‑a‑half‑year tenure, ACM achieved its largest, most diverse membership base and saw...
Tony Van De Berkt Appointed CEO of Universal Music Netherlands
Universal Music Central Europe has named 8Ball Music founder Tony van de Berkt as the new CEO of Universal Music Netherlands, effective immediately. He succeeds Kees van der Hoeven, who will retire in December 2025, and will report to Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO of Universal...
Matt Spetzler’s $200m-Backed Pipeline Acquires Music Valuation Firm Clarty
Pipeline, the $200 million‑backed indie music financing platform launched by Matt Spetzler’s Jamen Capital, has acquired the core assets and intellectual property of valuation firm Clarty Partners. The deal brings Clarty’s proprietary valuation technology, royalty‑ingestion systems, and analytical infrastructure into Pipeline,...
Warner Music Group Strikes Deal with South Korea’s MAINSTREAM – the Management Firm Behind Superstar Lee Young Ji
Warner Music has signed a partnership with South Korean management firm MAINSTREAM, the agency behind artists Lee Young Ji and Kik5o. The deal focuses on talent development, music production and global promotion, with Warner Music Korea taking a leading coordination role. The...
Germany’s Recorded Music Business Generated USD $2.73B in 2025 – up Just 2.3% YoY
Germany’s recorded‑music market posted €2.42 billion in 2025, a modest 2.3% year‑over‑year increase. Streaming remained the dominant revenue source, delivering €2 billion and representing 84.4% of total sales. Physical formats continued to decline, falling 5.9% to €345 million, though vinyl’s share of physical...
Guji Lorenzana Promoted to Director, A&R and Client Development, APAC, at Symphonic Distribution
Symphonic Distribution has promoted Guji Lorenzana to Director of A&R and Client Development for the Asia‑Pacific region, adding Arie Legowo as A&R Client Development Lead in Indonesia and Abegail Ungab as Senior Manager of Content, UGC & Rights Management. Lorenzana will now...
An Open Letter to Suno’s Mikey Shulman.
Suno AI announced a $300 million annual revenue run‑rate backed by 2 million paying subscribers, averaging $150 per user and highlighting strong demand for its Premier tier that allows 2,000 songs per month. The platform’s rapid growth coincides with a surge in...
How Jeff Waye and Patrick Curley Built Third Side Music Into an Indie Publishing Powerhouse with USD $25M in Annual...
Third Side Music, founded in Montreal with a $150,000 seed investment, has become an indie publishing powerhouse generating over $25 million in annual revenue in 2025 without outside capital. The company averages 15‑20% year‑over‑year growth, driven by a 75,000‑plus‑title catalog and...
Reservoir Receives Unsolicited $1.2B Bid From Activist Investor Irenic Capital (Report)
Activist fund Irenic Capital Management has lodged an unsolicited takeover offer for Reservoir Media, valuing the Nasdaq‑listed music rights company at $1.1‑$1.2 billion, or $10‑$11 per share. Irenic, which owns roughly 9.2% of Reservoir, triggered a 15% surge in the stock...
Primary Wave in Talks to Potentially Acquire Kobalt Music Group
Primary Wave is in advanced talks to acquire Kobalt Music Group, with a potential valuation north of $1.5 billion—roughly double the price paid by private‑equity owner Francisco Partners in 2022. The deal would merge Primary Wave’s $6 billion catalog portfolio with Kobalt’s...
Julie Lamb Promoted to Chief Talent Officer at AEG’s AXS; Jason Boxer Upped to Chief Financial Officer
Julie Lamb has been promoted to Chief Talent Officer of AEG’s ticketing arm AXS, while Jason Boxer moves up to Chief Financial Officer. Both previously served as senior vice presidents—Lamb in HR and Boxer in accounting and finance. Their new...
Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState Secures ‘Significant’ Bridgepoint Investment for Growth Equity Fund Targeting Music Companies
GoldState Music announced a strategic partnership with Bridgepoint Group, which will act as lead investor in a new Growth Strategy fund aimed at scaling music‑focused businesses. Unlike its prior billion‑dollar fundraising rounds that centered on catalog acquisitions, the new vehicle...
The Circuit Group Launches Indie Artist and Label Services Arm, Beat Switch
The Circuit Group has officially launched Beat Switch Music Services, a white‑label infrastructure offering for independent labels and artists. After two years of silent development, the division now supports more than 20 indie labels, providing distribution, rights management, publishing, marketing,...
‘End Streaming Fraud.’
Streaming fraud—artificial plays generated by bots and AI‑created content—is siphoning royalties from legitimate artists, songwriters, and labels. Fraudsters exploit gaps in distributor and platform safeguards, inflating streams to capture revenue from the finite pool that streaming services allocate. The IFPI...
Sony Group’s Blueprint for AI Music Detection Tech Is Promising. Here’s What It’s Working On…
Sony AI is advancing AI‑generated music detection through three research strands: attribution via an "unlearning" technique that isolates training songs influencing a generated track, segment‑level recognition with CLEWS that matches musical snippets as short as ten seconds, and protection using...
Miley Cyrus Asks Court to Dismiss ‘Flowers’ Copyright Case, Calling Similarities to Bruno Mars Hit ‘Commonplace’ and Unprotectable
Miley Cyrus’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss Tempo Secured Music Rights Collateral’s copyright lawsuit alleging her 2023 hit “Flowers” copies elements of Bruno Mars’s 2013 ballad “When I Was Your Man.” Tempo, a music‑rights fund now controlled by Warner Music Group,...
Sony Music Publishing Launches in the Philippines, Appoints Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager for the Market
Sony Music Publishing has launched its first Philippine office in Manila, appointing Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager. Ortiz reports to newly named Asia President Roslyn Pineda, who operates from Hong Kong. The office will serve local labels, collection societies, and...
Min Hee-Jin Proposes to Forgo $18M Court Win in Exchange for HYBE Dropping All Lawsuits Against Her, NewJeans, Ex-Employees and...
Min Hee‑jin, former ADOR CEO, offered to forgo a KRW 25.6 billion (≈US $17.9 million) court award in exchange for HYBE dropping every civil and criminal lawsuit involving her, NewJeans, former staff and fans. The proposal follows a Seoul court ruling that ordered HYBE...
Lauren Demarte Promoted to Chief Operating Officer at GoDigital Music
Lauren Demarte has been promoted to chief operating officer of GoDigital Music, becoming the company’s first COO. The appointment follows GoDigital’s recent $230 million financing round, which pushes total capital raised above $1 billion and coincides with a brand revamp that splits...
Salt-N-Pepa File Notice of Appeal over UMG Lawsuit Dismissal, with ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawyer as Counsel
Grammy‑winning rap duo Salt‑N‑Pepa have filed a notice of appeal after a district judge dismissed their lawsuit against Universal Music Group seeking to terminate UMG’s ownership of their master recordings. The lower‑court ruling held that the duo never owned the...
AI-Driven Kids Media Firm Animaj Strikes Global Deal with The Orchard’s Magic Star and Sony Music Publishing
Animaj, a digital‑first kids media company, has signed a global music partnership with Magic Star, The Orchard’s children’s division, and Sony Music Publishing. Magic Star will distribute Animaj’s recordings worldwide while Sony will administer publishing rights for its song catalog....
Atlantic Music Group Strikes Joint Venture with Indie Label Today Is Vintage
Atlantic Music Group announced a joint venture with indie label Today Is Vintage, founded by Swedish entrepreneur Rebin Shah. Today Is Vintage, operating from Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, has generated over 20 billion streams and more than 80 gold and platinum...
Greg Prata Promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Sony Music Publishing, as Tom Kelly Retires After 35-Year Career
Sony Music Publishing announced Greg Prata as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective March 31, succeeding Tom Kelly who is retiring after a 35‑year career. Prata, who joined Sony in 2012 after a stint at EMI and has a background in...
AI Sample Generator Just 4 Noise Raises $1M From BADideas.fund, Sound Hub Denmark and More
Berlin‑based Just 4 Noise, an AI‑driven audio sample generator, closed a $1 million pre‑seed round backed by BADideas.fund, SoundInvest and Sound Hub Denmark. The platform lets producers type a text prompt and receive unique, royalty‑free sounds that can be dropped directly into a...
Virgin Music Group Completes Downtown Acquisition; Pieter Van Rijn Named COO as Downtown Founder Justin Kalifowitz Steps Away
Virgin Music Group (VMG) completed its acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings on February 20, 2026, after the European Commission cleared the deal pending the divestiture of Downtown’s Curve royalty‑accounting unit. The transaction brings Downtown’s 5,000 business clients, four million creators and...
Chris Welz Named Partner at Secretly Distribution After Company’s ‘Biggest Year Ever’
Secretly Distribution has promoted longtime COO Chris Welz to Partner, marking his elevation to ownership after two decades. Welz, who built the company’s global physical distribution and digital services, will now co‑lead scaling efforts with CEO Darius Van Arman. The...
Meet Jake Basden, CEO of HYBE AMERICA Nashville’s Blue Highway Records: ‘I Bring a Manager’s Mentality to the Position.’
HYBE America has rebranded its Nashville division, formerly Big Machine Label Group, as Blue Highway Records and appointed veteran Jake Basden as CEO. Basden, who previously led Sandbox Management and served as SVP of Communications at BMLG, brings a manager‑first...
Sphere Entertainment’s Revenues Topped $1.2bn in 2025, up 8% YoY; Wizard Of Oz Has Generated $290M Since August Launch
Sphere Entertainment posted FY 2025 revenue of $1.22 billion, an 8% year‑over‑year increase, while narrowing its operating loss to $229.6 million. Adjusted operating profit surged 138% to $261.8 million, reflecting the impact of excluding depreciation, amortization and other non‑cash items. Q4 revenue jumped 28%...
Sony Music France Acquires Paris-Based Indie Label and Publishing Company Spookland
Sony Music Group France announced the acquisition of Spookland, a Paris‑based independent label and publishing company best known for representing French singer‑songwriter Jain. The deal, whose financial terms were undisclosed, transfers recorded‑music and publishing rights, as well as the full...
AWAL Strikes Global Distribution Deal with Italy’s Artist First
AWAL has entered a strategic partnership with Italy‑based Artist First, granting its roster localized marketing and promotional support to break into the Italian market while allowing Artist First to remain an independent entity. Artist First, founded in Milan in 2009,...
Concord Opens New Los Angeles Office on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills
Concord has opened a new 32,000‑square‑foot Los Angeles office at 9171 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, occupying the sixth floor and penthouse of the Wilshire & Palm Building. The space, designed by Wolcott with interiors by Tangram, emphasizes flexible, collaborative work environments and...
Universal Music Strikes Deal with Superfan Platform EVEN to Power D2C Sales for Artists Worldwide
Universal Music Group has signed a multi‑year agreement with superfan platform EVEN, making the service the primary direct‑to‑fan (D2C) hub for its labels and artists. EVEN will provide turnkey tools for early‑access music, exclusive content, and merchandise sales, leveraging UMG’s...
Henrik Berndtson Named Head of Nordics at AEG Ticketing Division AXS
AEG’s ticketing arm AXS has appointed Henrik Berndtson as Head of the Nordics, placing him in Stockholm to steer regional operations. The move aligns with AXS’s aggressive European rollout, complementing recent hires in Europe and a joint venture in Japan. Berndtson...
Apple Music’s iOS 26.4 Beta Introduces AI-Powered Playlist Tool
Apple Music is testing an AI‑powered playlist generator called Playlist Playground in the iOS 26.4 beta. The tool lets users type natural‑language prompts—such as “morning coffee music” or “disco songs that defined the 1970s”—to create 25‑track playlists with custom titles and...