News This AI tech lets users sing in 10 languages and 15 Chinese dialects. Westlife have used it to release a song in Mandarin via Tencent Music “Everyone can become a professional singer with AI.”
Analysis News Global on-demand audio streams grew 15.1% to reach 2.29 trillion in H1, according to Luminate’s Midyear Music Report Market monitor Luminate has published its Mid-Year report for H1 2024
Analysis News Sony Music is in the process of taking control of Queen’s UK-based companies Sony Music's landmark Queen catalog acquisition is getting closer and closer to becoming 'official'
News Mushroom Group unveils new talent management and partnerships agency "Traditional marketing methods alone don’t really cut it anymore. Audiences are savvier and more diverse than ever before."
Interviews SoundCloud’s Eliah Seton on superfans, sale rumors, AI and the future of music SoundCloud has built a "two-sided" platform for fans and artists. Eliah Seton says this is exactly what the music industry needs now.
News YouTube Music now lets you search for songs by humming, singing or playing a tune The streaming service is also testing out an AI-powered custom radio station feature
News Usher named top artist-songwriter in Q1 2024 by NMPA’s Gold & Platinum Program (based on RIAA certifications) Country music's Ashley Gorley took the top spot among non-performing songwriters
News Deezer unveils AI playlists in global beta Users selected for a beta test can use simply text prompts to create customized playlists
News Disney Music Group strikes deal with AI music startup AudioShake to ‘unlock new listening and fan engagement experiences’ for its catalog DMG to use AudioShake’s stem separation and lyric transcription tech
Interviews Key Songs In The Life Of… Ole Obermann Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music Development and IP at TikTok, talks us through the tracks that have shaped his life and career so far
News Record labels have sent ‘hundreds of thousands’ of copyright infringement notices to Verizon. Now they’re suing the internet provider for over $2bn Record companies sue ISP for alleged 'massive copyright infringement committed by tens of thousands of its subscribers'.
News David Wolter and Miles Beard named Co-Heads of East Coast and West Coast A&R at Republic Records Wolter is based in New York, while Beard is based in Los Angeles
News After raising $150M at $1bn valuation, avatar startup Genies launches network to connect cultural icons with innovation partners Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Camila Cabello have invested in the avatar creation company
News DICE exploring sale valuing it at ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ (report) The potential sale comes amid a flurry of M&A activity in the ticketing and live events space
News Downtown Music holds talks with PE firms, major music company regarding sale (report) The music company has been shifting focus from copyright ownership to providing services for copyright holders
Analysis News From Blackstone’s Hipgnosis deal to the US Copyright Office’s ‘landmark’ ruling… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up The biggest stories from the past week – all in one place
Analysis Blog ‘There is no legal or indeed moral excuse for the commercial use of music by AI companies without the prior permission of songwriters and rightholders.’ John Phelan, Director General of ICMP, explores the implications of the EU's new Artificial Intelligence Act
News Universal Music Australia launches not-for-profit record label Irruk Birruk to bring indigenous artists and music to a wider audience UMG describes the new label as an "industry-first move towards making Indigenous music more accessible"