Music News

Photo Credit: Thibault Penin Spotify is planning to raise subscription prices in dozens of countries outside the US this summer, according to sources close to the matter. In the face of slowing subscriber gains for streaming services in the US, Spotify plans to raise its subscription prices in countries across Europe and Latin America as early as June. The news comes from the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the situation. Since increasing its monthly price in the US just last Jul

Photo Credit: Sean “Diddy” Combs for Cannes Lions Learnings / CC by 3.0 Footage of Diddy physically assaulting Cassie Ventura will be shown to the jury in his criminal sex trafficking trial, a federal judge has ruled. The trial is scheduled to begin next month. Sean “Diddy” Combs and his legal team pushed to have the 2016 hotel footage of him brutally assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura excluded from the evidence in his upcoming trial. But a federal judge has denied those requests, allow

Photo Credit: CADA A Sydney radio station has been using an AI DJ for its morning show for six months without anyone noticing. Doing so was completely legal, as AI use is not a requirement in Australia—yet. The Australian Radio Network (ARN) Sydney station CADA broadcasts across Sydney and is also available to listen online through iHeart Radio. CADA created an AI host for its ‘Workdays with Thy’ slot, which runs from 11 am to 3 pm. She presents four hours of hip-hop for those listening, but n

Photo Credit: Panagiotis Falcos MusicAnswers has spent two years conducting a survey of college student music creators to better understand their experience with song registration agencies—specifically the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). The results are pretty grim, with a majority of college students being unaware of their purpose or what they do in the industry. A survey of 150 music creator college students from across the United States reveals that 93% of respondents have never seen

You probably already know what a webcam is. But if you have a Macbook that is one of the most recent models (2022 and later), your built-in webcam is probably leaving much to be desired in terms of image fidelity.  Even with the better built-in webcam, you may want to be clearer or have more control over how you look with settings like color temperature, sharpness, contrast, zoom, and field-of-view. Having an external camera achieves that, and it also gives you more natural-looking motion (like

Tencent Music is reportedly in talks to purchase podcast platform Ximalaya. Photo Credit: Austin Distel Tencent Music (NYSE: TME) is reportedly in “advanced” talks to purchase Chinese podcast platform Ximalaya in a multibillion-dollar deal. Word of the possible buyout entered the media spotlight in a detail-light report from Bloomberg. As described by the outlet, which cited anonymous and purportedly well-informed sources, the acquisition could bring with it a $2.4 billion price tag. Accordi

Photo Credit: Ari Lennox by Justin LaMotte / CC by 4.0 Ari Lennox parts ways with J. Cole’s Dreamville Records months after ranting about the label on social media. Back in October, R&B singer Ari Lennox aired her various grievances with Dreamville on social media, demanding her release from the label. Now, she has officially (and quietly) parted ways with the company, and will now be releasing music solely through Interscope Records. “I’m so tired. Where do I f—ing start? My heart’s beat

Photo Credit: Vevo the world’s largest music video network Vevo is focusing on a new suite of data-driven products for advanced targeting, optimization, and measurement of ads called ‘Vevo Evolve.’ Vevo Evolve will allow marketers to seamlessly plan, measure, and activate advertising campaigns on all Vevo inventory, including mobile, desktop and connected TVs. The product encompasses YouTube and Vevo’s free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) footprint. The move comes as free, ad-supported strea

Napster buyer Infinite Reality has revealed the identity of the investor behind the over $3 billion round it announced in January 2025. Photo Credit: Ben Sweet Now claiming a north of $15 billion valuation, Napster buyer Infinite Reality has officially revealed the identity of the mysterious investor behind its $3 billion January raise. Despite its size, that raise didn’t make too big a splash in the music world, where Infinite Reality is best known for its Napster acquisition. But in January

Photo Credit: Apollo Victoria Theatre in London by The Lud StubHub announces a partnership with ATG Entertainment, making StubHub the official resale ticket partner for 16 ATG venues across the United States. Fans will be able to purchase ATG Entertainment tickets directly through StubHub, enjoying a seamless, secure experience backed by StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee. The partnership is powered by StubHub’s proprietary technology, 25 years of fan behavior insights, and performance marketing t

Photo Credit: Meta Meta introduces three Doja Cat avatars for purchase and use in its VR Horizon Worlds. These are the latest “Fantastical Avatars”—equippable avatars in Meta’s Horizon Worlds—and users can purchase each of the three Doja Cat looks for 750 Meta Credits each, or about $7.50. The avatars can be found in Horizon Worlds’ Music Valley. They’re the first Fantastical Avatars inspired by a musical artist, as Meta looks to hone in on some of what Fortnite is doing. The Doja Cat avatars

Photo Credit: Ashley King Media conglomerate Ziff Davis is suing OpenAI for copyright infringement. The suit alleges that OpenAI “intentionally and relentlessly” exploited Ziff Davis’s copyrighted content to train its AI models without authorization or compensation. Ziff Davis is one of the largest digital publishers in the U.S., overseeing more than 45 media brands and employing 3,800 people. The brand’s gaming portfolio includes some of the biggest sites in the gaming ecosystem, including IG

The European Commission is now reviewing the proposed Universal Music Group buyout of Downtown Music Holdings. Photo Credit: Guillaume Périgois Following ample competition-related criticism and a couple investigation referrals, the European Commission has moved “to examine” Universal Music Group’s proposed Downtown buyout. The EU executive arm just recently made the inquiry official, weeks after receiving the mentioned referrals from competition watchdogs in the Netherlands and Austria. As w

Singapore-born and New York-based artist Kyle Waves, who previously captivated my senses with his compelling track “I Feel Too Much For You,” is set to unleash another gem from his highly anticipated EP. In his earlier offering, Kyle masterfully navigated the emotional landscape of falling for someone who feels tantalizingly out of reach. Now, with “Thinking Bout It,” he takes us deeper into the complexities of love, illuminating the exhilarating experience of love at first sight. This track pro

The Copyright Licensing Agency is set to release an AI training license later in 2025. Photo Credit: Igor Omilaev An AI training license is expected to launch just months from now in the UK – albeit with an initial focus on the writing and publishing side. London’s Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) announced its “ambitious plans” for the license in a brief release. With a rollout teed up for Q3 2025, the system will enable gen AI developers to purchase one-stop training authorization for “text-

Photo Credit: Hybe Latin America / Telemundo Hybe Latin America and Telemundo present Pase a La Fama, a first-of-its-kind music competition seeking Mexico’s next global music sensation. Telemundo and Hybe Latin America are joining forces for the first time on Spanish-language television to present Pase a La Fama, an innovative music competition premiering Sunday, June 8 at 9PM ET. The reality series brings together aspiring musicians in a high-stakes journey filled with raw talent, bold reshuf

Photo Credit: The Come Up Show / CC by 2.0 Cornell University has revoked R&B singer Kehlani’s Invitation to headline its annual Slope Day celebration. The decision was announced by President Michael Kotlikoff following a Jewish student petition that garnered over 5,200 signatures in four days. Kehlani was announced as the Slope Day performer on April 11, 2025, with the university’s Studen & Campus Life department confirming her selection as the first female headliner in 16 years for t

Photo Credit: MCA Universal Music Group Nashville enters a new era, rebranding as Music Corporation of America (MCA). Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced the next step for its Nashville operations: a new name. Universal Music Group Nashville has been rebranded to Music Corporation of America (MCA)—a name with a storied legacy. Under the leadership of President and CEO Mike Harris and Chief Creative Officer Dave Cobb, MCA enters a new era with a bold vision for Nashville’s future. The Mu

The European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Photo Credit: EmDee That’ll be $800 million, please. A couple investigations and one stroke of the pen later, the European Commission has fined Apple (€500 million) and Meta (€200 million) the better part of $1 billion. The European Union executive body announced as much in a formal release. As many know, both the mentioned companies (besides Google and other leading tech and social players) aren’t exactly strangers to aggressive regulatory scr

Photo Credit: Spotify Spotify expands its AI Playlist beta to 40 more countries as YouTube announces a very similar feature. Spotify launched its AI Playlist beta a year ago, a feature that creates playlists on the fly based on listeners’ text prompts. After expanding the beta to a few more countries back in September, Spotify is now rolling the feature out to 40 more countries as the beta continues. Now, Premium subscribers in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean can “eff

Photo Credit: Meta Instagram launches its standalone Edits app for editing video, with features to compete with TikTok parent company ByteDance and its CapCut app. On Tuesday, Instagram launched its standalone Edits app for video creation, offering features to rival those offered by TikTok parent ByteDance’s CapCut app. The new app allows creators to organize their project ideas, shoot and edit video, and view insights about content creation. It features background replacement, automatic capt

Photo Credit: Paulo Nunes dos Santos (Kneecap.ie) Irish rap group Kneecap are facing a British counter-terrorism investigation after footage from a concert went viral on social media. The footage was posted online by Danny Morris of the Community Security Trust charity. Morris says the footage is from a gig in November 2024 at London’s Kentish Town Forum. The video shows the hip-hop trio on stage, with one member appearing to shout ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ at the crowd. Both Hamas and Hezboll

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett Lloyds Banking Group has issued a report on Oasis ticket scams, revealing that collectively, Oasis fans have lost £2M ($2.7M). The average victim loses £436 ($580) on average—mostly on scams instigated through Meta platforms. Fans of Oasis are being targeted by a surge of ticket scams on social media as the group plans its first tour since 2009. Lloyds’ analysis of scam reports made by its own customers found that there were more than 1,000 cases of fraud since the s

Madrid, Spain, where the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) is based. Photo Credit: Jorge Fernández Salas The Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) has reported record revenue of €390 million (currently $443.1 million) for 2024, when digital collections spiked by 25.6%. SGAE disclosed these and other financial details today; CISAC, of which SGAE is a member, also highlighted the seemingly solid results in a release. Behind the revenue total, which rose 11.7% YoY and is

I am absolutely delighted to introduce the incredibly talented rising Australian pop star, Orlando Kallen, on the blog today! Born in Australia and enriched by his Greek, Egyptian, and Croatian roots. This diverse cultural heritage profoundly shapes his artistry, infusing his music with unparalleled depth and authenticity. As a true triple threat – singer, songwriter, and producer, Orlando is making waves and rapidly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the music scene. His pow