News UMG strikes licensing deal with NetEase Cloud Music for China including ‘artist-centric’ terms covering AI, plans to expand Super VIP tier The agreement includes provisions addressing artificial intelligence, with both companies committing to what they called artist-centric AI principles.
News Matt Spetzler’s Jamen Capital launches $200M-backed independent music financing platform, Pipeline The Jamen Capital-backed firm says that its launch comes at a "pivotal moment for the global music industry"
News Udio strikes AI licensing deal with Merlin after UMG and Warner Music settlements The deal includes terms intended to protect what the companies called “the value of human artistry.”
Analysis News On… Warner’s cutbacks, and the bigger story. The following article originally appeared in Tim Ingham’s latest ‘Tim’s Take’ email, issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers.
News Max Lousada and Julie Greenwald have quietly registered two companies together. The structure might be telling. The two companies – 26.2 Music Ltd and 26.2 Services Ltd – were established in November last year, according to UK Companies House
News AI music firm Udio is hiring for a Head of Artist Partnerships to lead negotiations with the music industry Successful candidate will 'define and lead how artists engage with Udio at a pivotal moment in the company’s growth'
News Bruno Crolot exits role as President, Label & Artist Solutions at Believe MBW first reported last summer that Crolot was leaving his previous position as Spotify’s Senior Director, Head of International Music, for a role at Believe
News Sphere Entertainment reveals first ‘mini Sphere’ location in US The company has confirmed plans to develop a 6,000-capacity 'mini Sphere' at National Harbor in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
News Harri Davies joins The Other Songs as Head of A&R Davies arrives following senior A&R role at RCA Records UK
News Jerome Porritt named Head of A&R at RCA Records UK Porritt, who brings over a decade of experience in A&R, was most recently Head of A&R at Warner Records and Parlophone UK
News AI-created track blocked from Sweden’s Official Charts after racking up millions of streams on Spotify The AI artist behind the track has gained over 935,800 monthly listeners on Spotify.
News Tiny Vinyl has released collectible records by Chappell Roan, Rihanna, KATSEYE, and more superstars. Now its expanding into Europe. Tiny Vinyl's collectible four-inch records can play up to 4 minutes of music per side
News Sony Music buys Munich label F.A.M.E. Recordings The deal includes debut albums from bands Schandmaul and Pam Pam Ida, along with recordings by Feuerschwanz, Werner Schmidbauer, and more.
News Bruno Mars breaks Ticketmaster single-day sales record, with 2.1m tickets sold for ‘The Romantic Tour’ The artist recently added 32 new dates for the Live Nation-produced 2026 tour, expanding to a total of 70 shows.
News Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern to retire at end of 2026 CMA says successor is expected to be announced in February
News From GMR’s new CEO to 253m tracks on streaming platforms… it’s MBW’s weekly round-up The biggest headlines from the past few days...
News Jeff Toig named CEO at Irving Azoff’s GMR, as co-founder Randy Grimmett becomes Executive Chairman Toig has served as Global Music Rights’ Chief Business Officer since 2018
News SESAC names Chris Sheehan as VP, International Veteran UK executive steps into international role following more than two decades of collaboration with the PRO