music industry

Two years ago, questions emerged about whether TikTok was evolving into a record company. The video platform — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. — launched the SoundOn music distribution service and hired Artists & Repertoire executives. On Tuesday, June 18, Music Business Worldwide (MBW)...

The TICKET Act sailed through the House with a commanding vote of 388-24 on Wednesday. This legislative proposal seeks to revolutionize the ticket-selling landscape by mandating upfront disclosure of total prices, inclusive of all fees, and guaranteeing refunds in the event of cancellations or...

Taylor Swift‘s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” has joined forces with ByteDance’s TikTok. This marks a significant turnaround after Swift’s music was absent from the platform due to a dispute between Universal Music Group NV (OTC:UMGNF) and the popular...

Taylor Swift‘s trajectory to further financial heights is poised for a turbo boost with the launch of her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD). Swift, already celebrated for her record-breaking accomplishments, made headlines by entering Forbes’ billionaire...

Spotify Technologies SA (NYSE:SPOT) is developing new features inspired by TikTok to keep up with the platform’s popularity. According to The Wall Street Journal, these tools will allow paid subscribers to tweak tracks, like speeding them up or creating mash-ups, for later listening. One big...

The music industry’s push for transparency in the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) models has received legislative support from at least one member of Congress. What Happened: California representative Adam Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act on Tuesday...

Spotify Technology SA (NYSE:SPOT) has launched a new beta tool for its Premium subscribers in the UK and Australia, allowing them to create AI-personalized playlists based on text descriptions. According to a company’s blog post, users can access this feature on their mobile devices by...

The iconic hard rock band Kiss has sold its song catalog, brand, likeness, and intellectual property to Stockholm-based Pophouse Entertainment for a sum speculated to be over $300 million. This deal comes as the band prepares to retire from live performances with their End of the Road World Tour,...

Over 200 prominent musicians, including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson and others, united to issue an open letter to artificial intelligence (AI) developers, tech companies and digital platforms. According to Axios, the letter demanded an end to the utilization of AI in ways that...

Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer provided insights into the music industry’s evolving landscape, notably discussing TikTok and artificial intelligence (AI). In a Financial Times interview, Stringer did not dismiss the possibility of Sony Group Corp.’s (NYSE:SONY) Sony Music pulling its...

Tennessee positioned itself on March 22 at the forefront of an emerging battle between the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence (AI) and the time-honored rights of artists. By introducing the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, famously dubbed the ELVIS Act, Tennessee...

TikTok is facing mounting pressure as it removes recordings co-written by Universal Music Group NV (OTC: UMGNF) songwriters and approaches the end of its licensing deal with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) on April 30. "We do not anticipate that there will be an...

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has announced that as of March 1, its catalog of approximately four million songs is no longer actively licensed for use on TikTok. This decision follows the expiration of UMPG's license for approximately three million recordings on TikTok on Feb. 1,...

Universal Music Group NV (OTC: UMGNF) announced a "strategic organizational redesign" during its fourth-quarter earnings call, aiming for "efficiencies in targeted cost areas while strengthening labels' capabilities to deepen artist and fan connections," as stated in a press...

The 2024 Grammy Awards unfolded as a historic night marked by female dominance, where women claimed victories in every televised category. Taylor Swift, in particular, made headlines by securing the Album of the Year award for an unprecedented fourth time, solidifying her position as a trailblazer...