Music Business Worldwide - News, jobs and analysis for the global music industry

Interviews

Believe and TuneCore are blocking distribution of Generative AI tracks made on 'pirate studios' like Suno – while inking new partnerships with ElevenLabs and Udio

News

Primary Wave raises $2.2 billion for fourth music fund

Analysis News

3 Observations On… BMG x Concord

News

In Q1, YouTube Music and Premium saw ‘largest quarterly increase’ in non-trial subscribers since 2018 launch, says Alphabet CEO, as platform’s quarterly ad revenues rose to $9.88B

YouTube's advertising revenue grew 11% YoY to $9.88 billion in Q1 2026

News

Symphonic targets catalog acquisitions and indie artist financing deals with launch of Symphonic NEXT

Michelle Garramone, who recently joined Symphonic as Head of Strategic Partnerships, will lead the new initiative.

News

India’s Times Music buys Punjabi record label Catrack Entertainment — in third acquisition since striking $100m JV with Primary Wave

Punjabi specialist Catrack was founded in 1990, with a catalog that spans what the company describes as a 'golden era' of the genre.

News

Sorry, AI artists. Spotify’s not letting you become ‘verified’ on its platform.

Spotify is introducing a new verification badge for artist profiles.

News

The UK’s PRS for Music paid out $1.41B to songwriters, composers and publishers in 2025

Royalty collections at UK collection society grew 7.7% YoY to $1.63B

News

Dirty Hit opens first continental European office in Berlin, led by EU Label Manager Noura Labbani

Labbani will lead Dirty Hit's European operations for its full roster

Analysis News

UMG generated $3.39 billion in Q1, up 8.1% YoY – driven by BTS, Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift, and more

Universal Music Group has published its Q1 2026 results for the three months ending March 31

News

Universal is selling 50% of its Spotify stake, generating around $1.4 billion

UMG will sell half of its equity stake in Spotify and use the proceeds to help fund an expanded share buyback program totaling EUR €1 billion (USD $1.17bn)

Analysis News

HYBE posts record Q1 revenue of $477M, up 39.5% YoY, driven by BTS comeback

HYBE's latest earnings filing was published on Wednesday, April 29

News

The Beatles’ Apple Corps restructures executive team with new hires and promotions

The hires span marketing, finance, retail, and strategy, all reporting to Tom Greene, who took on the role in September 2025.

News

iHeartMedia in talks to be acquired by SiriusXM Holdings (report)

Bloomberg reported that the talks are still at an early stage and may not result in a deal

Interviews

BMG+Concord is the music industry’s biggest bet in years. What’s the plan?

Thomas Coesfeld and Bob Valentine answer MBW's questions on a mega-merger – and ambitious targets

Analysis News

Spotify Co-CEOs outline AI ambitions and more on Q1 2026 earnings call

Here are five things we learned from the company's Q1 earnings call

News

Jimi Hendrix bandmates’ estates lose UK court battle against Sony Music over ownership of band’s recordings

The UK High Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the estates of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell

News

Primary Wave strikes deal with Harry Chapin estate covering singer-songwriter’s catalog, name, image & likeness rights

Harry Chapin's catalog encompasses 11 albums, 14 singles, and more than 16 million albums sold worldwide.

News

Allison Jones named Executive Vice President of A&R at Big Machine Records and Nashville Harbor

Veteran Nashville executive expands long-standing partnership with Borchetta amid the latest phase of Big Machine’s post-acquisition evolution.

News

BMG and Concord confirm merger, with Bertelsmann as majority-owner; Bob Valentine named CEO of combined company

The combined company will be owned approximately 67% by Bertelsmann, and 33% by affiliates of Great Mountain Partners, a long-time investor in Concord

News

Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice and likeness amid crackdown on AI deepfakes

The applications include recordings of Swift saying, 'Hey, it's Taylor,' and 'Hey, it's Taylor Swift,' as well as an image showing her holding a pink guitar on stage.