News Universal Music strikes deal with superfan platform EVEN to power D2C sales for artists worldwide The deal arrives just weeks after UMG acquired a minority stake in superfan platform Stationhead.
Analysis News NetEase Cloud Music now counts over 1 million registered indie artists The platform has published its FY 2025 results, in which it reported that its membership subscription revenues rose 13.3% YoY in 2025
News Sir Lucian Grainge talks AI music, superfans in 2026 memo, taking swipe at firms ‘validating business models that fail to respect artists’ work’ Read Sir Lucian Grainge's 2026 memo to UMG staff
Interviews Craig Kallman on signing ‘uncategorizable’ artists, reimagining Big Beat, and his new role as WMG’s Chief Music Officer Veteran A&R executive discusses his new role as Chief Music Officer at Warner Music Group
News After buying Spitfire Audio in reported $50m deal, Splice launches virtual instrument platform for music producers Splice INSTRUMENT offers access to over 1,200 playable presets at launch.
News JYP Entertainment is hiring for AI and Unreal Engine experts to develop an ‘unprecedented’ virtual K-pop artist JYP is hiring staff with expertise in artificial intelligence, motion graphics and more
News This app from SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man’s new company A20 will let fans chat with AI versions of K-Pop artists The app features direct messaging with artists and AI-generated responses from virtual versions of the artists.
News Sony Corp opens up 360 virtual mixing audio tech to music creators and more The technology uses specialized headphones to recreate the acoustic environment of professional studios, allowing anyone to produce studio-quality mixes anywhere.
News British singer-songwriter Myles Smith to perform exclusive virtual Fortnite concert produced By Sony Immersive Music Studios News of the virtual concert was announced at Sony Music's Immersive Tech Day on Tuesday (October 22)
News SM Entertainment partners with telco LG Uplus on AI-driven content for virtual artist Naevis Virtual artists are taking off in popularity, particularly in the South Korean market
News YouTube Music’s Foundry Program returns to support ‘next wave of independent artists’ YouTube is rolling out some new features for its Foundry program, including live shows
News After being acquired by HYBE in a $32m deal last year, voice cloning startup Supertone launches AI-powered virtual pop group, SYNDI8 Supertone claims that its software can create 'hyper-realistic and expressive voices that [are not] distinguishable from real humans.'
Analysis Blog Why fighting to get artists paid for radio plays is so critical The following op/ed comes from Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange
News Artists have earned $123m via Bandcamp Fridays since 2020 and fans have paid artists and their labels $1.3bn via the platform to date The direct to fan platform celebrates its 40th Bandcamp Friday on May 3
Interviews ‘When artists say they want to be independent, what they really mean is they want to be autonomous.’ Stem founder, Milana Rabkin-Lewis, on her company, TikTok vs. UMG, AI, and much more