Spotify Song Library Contains 250M Tracks; OpenPlay Launches CoLab at Music Biz 2026; Grateful Dead Debut Streaming App
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OpenPlay Launches CoLab, A Digital Sandbox Giving Access To Vibe Coding For All, At Music Biz 2026
At the heart of CoLab is the use of AI tools and “vibe coding,” a new, accessible way for users to create functional prototypes simply by describing what they want.
Spotify Song Library Contains 250 Million Tracks, Co-CEO Says
Against the backdrop of continued streaming growth – and an avalanche of AI slop – Spotify’s library now contains a staggering 250 million tracks. But is the platform intentionally leaving the upload floodgates open to benefit its recommendations and accelerate the arrival of authorized derivative works?
Universal Music sells half Spotify stake, doubles buyback
The board authorized the Spotify stake reduction in March, the company said. Proceeds will be directed initially toward UMG's buyback program and also shared with artists on a non-recoupable basis — a commitment made when Taylor Swift re-signed with the label in 2018, according to Reuters.
Fred again..’s Dropbox Photo Dump Understands the Moment
This week, the producer shared a public Dropbox folder packed with photos, videos, posters, artwork, visual stems, and behind-the-scenes creative files from his USB002 tour — turning what could have been a standard post-tour recap into something much bigger.
Beatport Landed Goes Inside Los Angeles’ After-Hours Engine
Bianca Oblivion, DJ Kerry, Masha Mar, Oza, and Juliet Mendoza open the door to LA’s DIY after-hours network of parties, collectives, and community.
SSC: The Song Contest That is Becoming AI Music’s Global Stage
SSC — formerly known as the Suno Song Contest — is the closest thing AI music culture has produced to a world stage, built entirely from the ground up by its participants. At the core of everything is the song.
Grateful Dead Release new app.... Features rare, unreleased live concerts
The Play Dead app is available via a partnership with live audio streaming service nugs. The app is launching with an archive of 422 live shows, including 20 previously unreleased performances, with new releases arriving every Tuesday, curated by David Lemieux, the band’s longtime audiovisual archivist and legacy manager.
There’s now a collecting society just for AI-generated music
For now, most established collecting societies are not representing GenAI-music creators, amid concerns over the training models of the platforms that they use – and also questions about whether their work even qualifies for copyright protection.
Spotify Makes Big Push Into Fitness With Peloton Partnership
Peloton classes on the app will include outdoors runs, strength, cardio, yoga and more.
The Struggle of Fake Streams
AI-generated tracks are multiplying by the day. At the same time, streaming fraud is becoming harder to detect and more difficult to prevent.
Excite Audio unveils Bloom Drum Kits, the latest addition to its much-loved Bloom plugin series
With 250 presets, a collection of professionally played rhythms plus one-shots.
The Best AI Creators Aren’t Prompting
They’re directing their imagination.
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