Music Business
Los Alegres del Barranco Sign With Warner Music Mexico: ‘We’re Ready for the Next Step’
The band joins the record label after two decades as an independent group.
Publishing Briefs: Concord Acquires Mothership, Mariah the Scientist Signs With UMPG
More in this week's Publishing Briefs include Karen Moon signing a deal with peermusic and Loreen at Believe.
Busta Rhymes Settles With Assistant He Allegedly Punched for Using Phone on the Job
The settlement will end a lawsuit from Dashiel Gables that claimed the star assaulted him in a Brooklyn high-rise over a phone call from his daughter.
Billboard’s Women In Music 2026
Each year Billboard Women in Music event recognizes music’s rising artists, creators, producers and executives for their contributions to the industry and community. Featuring Keke Palmer, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, Ella Langley, Laufey, Tate McRae, Kehlani, Mariah the Scientist, Teyana Taylor, Zar
SiriusXM Posts Double-Digit Profit Growth on Subscription Price Hikes, Pandora’s Ad Revenue
The audio entertainment company discussed improved customer retention with companion plans and advertising 'momentum,' but declined to address market speculation that it may acquire iHeart Radio.
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 Source
Tech startup Nebula partners with EMPIRE’s Supply Chain to launch what it calls an ‘earn-before-you-stream’ music distro service
The new service lets fans invest in artists' music via Nebula's marketplace Source
Tech startup Nebula partners with Ghazi Shami’s Supply Chain to launch what it calls an ‘earn-before-you-stream’ music distro service
The new service lets fans invest in artists' music via Nebula's marketplace Source
Anthropic’s supporters tell court “novel” fair use arguments put forward by music publishers are “unconstitutional”
The music industry has evolved its copyright arguments as to why AI training is not fair use under US law. But are those new arguments valid? Supporters of AI company Anthropic, which has been sued by a group of music publishers, say the revised arguments are novel, flawed and unconstitutional
Op-ed: More than the Beatles: the quiet secrets behind Liverpool’s world-class music industry
Sound City kicks off in Liverpool tomorrow with this year’s Sound City+ conference, ahead of a weekend of great music across the city. Managing Director Becky Ayres looks back at how the event has evolved over its nineteen editions, and the role it has played in developing Liverpool’s music industry
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. Source
Sandbox Guide :: The perfect pivot
“An artist is usually ready for a brand evolution when they’ve exhausted the current version of themselves” Sandbox Guides are for music marketers: They explain how you can use new platforms, create new strategies, and build new audiences. The Guides feature cutting-edge case studies, expert intervi
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. Source
YouTube ads were a $9.88bn business in first quarter of 2026
Alphabet was another tech giant announcing its latest quarterly financial results this week – including the latest update on YouTube’s advertising business. That generated $9.88bn of revenues in the first quarter, up 10.7% year-on-year. This follows the company’s performance in 2025 as a whole, when
Prediction-market firm Kalshi adds trading for music streams
Prediction markets – where people bet on what they think will happen in the future – have been making some negative headlines recently: see the Guardian’s investigation into people “betting millions on war” on one of the biggest platforms, Polymarket. However, it seems some other people are preferri
ElevenLabs launches ElevenMusic as ‘not just a listening app’
AI firm ElevenLabs’ march into music has been swift. Last August it announced licensing deals with Kobalt and Merlin as well as plans to launch a service called ‘ElevenMusic’. One $500m funding round and an AI-music album featuring Liza Minnelli and Art Garfunkel later, the official launch of Eleven
Hybe reports biggest-ever first quarter with revenues up 39.5%
South Korean music firm Hybe enjoyed a bumper Q1 this year, and no prizes for guessing one of the prime drivers of its growth: BTS. Hybe reported revenues of KRW 698.3bn ($471.2m at current exchange rates) for the first quarter. That’s a record Q1 for the company, with the revenues up 39.5% year-on-
PRS for Music Announces Royalty Collection Totaled $1.67 Billion in 2025
The U.K. collection society has shared their 2025 financial report.
Where The Shadow Ends Is Building Organic House Through Careful Curation
Where The Shadow Ends caught my ear because it feels curated in a way that a lot of modern label catalogs simply do not. The releases sit in that organic, progressive house lane, but the real throughline is Riccardo Pierini’s taste: patient arrangements, emotional intent, and records that feel selec
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 Source