Spotify Bets on Creation, Community, AI; Qobuz, Rough Trade Streaming Partnership; UMG, TikTok Unveil New Licensing Deal
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Spotify Bets on Creation, Community, and AI
Spotify’s 2026 Investor Day carried a single, clear message: the company is no longer a music streaming service. It is a multi-format media platform built around taste, personalization, and increasingly, creation.
Qobuz launches global streaming partnership with indie retailer Rough Trade
While digital and physical music might once have been at odds with each other, the two sides are increasingly complementary as both streaming consumption and vinyl sales continue to rise in tandem. Rough Trade has previously partnered with Spotify and Apple Music as part of that move to break down barriers between physical and digital.
UMG and TikTok unveil new multi-year strategic licensing agreement
The deal will further strengthen the existing relationship between the two companies, as well as providing additional benefits for artists, songwriters, creators and fans. The major and the short form video app famously fell out over licensing terms in early 2024, but reached an agreement within months.
Paul McCartney to host global TikTok LIVE Q&A ahead of new album release
The event will kick off TikTok LIVE Premiere – the platform’s new flagship LIVE series.
Spotify, Universal Strike AI Deal to Turn Fan Creations Into Revenue Stream
At the center of the deal is a forthcoming Spotify tool, powered by generative AI, that enables users to reinterpret existing tracks while ensuring that rights holders are compensated.
Stability AI launches new audio models that can generate 6-minute music tracks
Three of the four models are open-weight, meaning they are free to download and build upon.
Ozzy Osbourne to Return as an AI-Powered Digital Avatar: ‘This Is a Living Performance’
The avatar will “have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would,” according to one of the companies behind it.
Live Music Society, Folk Alliance, D-Tour Team Up to Fund Tours
Financial barriers to touring are greater than ever for emerging artists, but a new collaboration aims to provide a much-needed bridge to the stage.
Chord Music Partners’ John Chapman on the next wave of capital heading for music rights
Alongside Sam Hendel, Chapman runs Dundee Partners, the investment office of the Hendel family.
Beatport saw surge in subscriptions from Latin America in 2025
Beatport’s business is growing rapidly in Latin America.
Good Grief! ‘Peanuts’ Music Copyrights Owner Fires Off Four Infringement Lawsuits
What do the federal government, video game publisher GameMill Entertainment, Heritage Auctions, and belt-buckle specialist Buckle-Down have in common? For one thing, they’re facing infringement lawsuits from Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP), which controls the Peanuts music catalog.
Spotify Wants to End the Ticket Wars—Starting With Its Top Listeners
Buying concert tickets has become a high-speed game most fans are set up to lose—endless refreshes, presale codes, and bots scooping up seats before humans get a shot. Spotify thinks it can fix that.
Concert Films Have Become the Second Leg of an Artist’s Tour
As recorded music revenues became increasingly fragmented by streaming inequities, the live show transforms into the primary premium product. Concert films now allow artists to monetize that same experience twice — first in the venue, then again in theaters and eventually on streaming platforms.
Apple Music Has Good and Bad News About AI Music
AI Music is flooding the internet, and Apple Music is no exception. The good news is that almost no one is listening to it on the platform.
Google Doubles Down on AI Creativity With Updates Coming to Flow and Flow Music
Google Flow’s family of products gets agentic updates, mobile apps and the Omni Flash treatment.
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