Judge Denies Ticketmaster Motion to Dismiss FTC Lawsuit
Ticketmaster and Live Nation must continue defending a Federal Trade Commission case over ticket-resale practices after a federal judge rejected their bid to end it early. The ruling does not decide that the companies broke the law. It decides that the FTC and seven states have alleged enough for their claims to proceed into the […]
How To Build a Network in the Music Industry
Your network grows when people know what you do, trust how you work, and remember you after the conversation ends. Start by being clear about your role. You do not need a grand pitch, but you should be able to explain the music you make and the kind of collaborators you hope to meet. Spend […]
NYC Producer XENO Makes His Electronic Debut With “Plastic”
For more than a decade, Rony Zino has been building records from the inside out. He taught himself to engineer, write and produce in 2015, then spent years working across hip-hop and pop in Queens' underground rap scene. With "Plastic," he is putting that experience behind an artist project of his own: XENO. The New […]
How To Launch Your First Single If You Have No Audience
Your first single does not need a perfect masterplan. It needs a clear finishing point and a set of checks you can manage without rushing. Pick a track that still feels like you after you have heard it too many times. Before you send it anywhere, finish the credits and save the details in one […]
How To Turn Your Music Into a Real Brand
A music brand is the promise people feel when they run into your work. It is not just a logo or a colour scheme. It is the connection between your sound, your visuals and the way you show up. If those things pull in the same direction, people can remember you. Begin with the feeling […]
Latest Stories
View AllGrowth Trends and Strategies in the $40 Billion Music Royalty Market, 2026-2031
Spotify paid a record $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, up roughly $1 billion year over year, and IFPI reports paid subscription revenue grew 8.8% in 2025. Yet per-stream economics stay flat because streaming pays from a pro-rata pool: more revenue also means more subscribers and more streams splitting it. Spotify announced its […]
CD Sales Rise as Vinyl Growth Slows: What the 2026 Data Really Means
The report suggested that “price accessibility” could be a factor behind the trend, while also show the importance of physical fandom in K-pop culture, and the success of BTS’s March comeback album ‘ARIRANG’. Back in 2024, more than half of 18-24-year-olds surveyed by Key Production, the UK’s biggest vinyl packaging firm, revealed their preference for […]
Vinyl Sales 2025: 2025 Data & 2026 Roadmap
The report suggested that “price accessibility” could be a factor behind the trend, while also show the importance of physical fandom in K-pop culture, and the success of BTS’s March comeback album ‘ARIRANG’. Back in 2024, more than half of 18-24-year-olds surveyed by Key Production, the UK’s biggest vinyl packaging firm, revealed their preference for […]
Which Streaming Service Pays Artists the Most in 2026?
Spotify paid a record $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, up roughly $1 billion year over year, and IFPI reports paid subscription revenue grew 8.8% in 2025. Yet per-stream economics stay flat because streaming pays from a pro-rata pool: more revenue also means more subscribers and more streams splitting it. Spotify announced its […]
Music Industry Trends 2026: Where the Money Is Moving
Wallen’s ‘I’m the Problem’ beat out Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ and Charli XCX’s ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ in one of the tightest chart races of the year so far. The respected Warner Records exec will step in for Armin Zerza, who leaves a year after joining. Wrote that […]
Music Industry Moves: BMG Fully Acquires John Lee Hooker, Hal David, ARC Music Publishing Catalogs
The first half of this year saw $2.77 trillion worth of deals inked worldwide, up 48% from the year-ago period and the best first half for mergers and acquisitions since the dot com bubble burst in 2002, the New York Times recently reported, citing data from the London Stock Exchange Group. Those events have created […]
The Music Industry in 2026: Trends and Opportunities
Wallen’s ‘I’m the Problem’ beat out Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ and Charli XCX’s ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ in one of the tightest chart races of the year so far. The respected Warner Records exec will step in for Armin Zerza, who leaves a year after joining. Wrote that […]
Vinyl in 2026: The Records That Define the New Era of Collecting
The report suggested that “price accessibility” could be a factor behind the trend, while also show the importance of physical fandom in K-pop culture, and the success of BTS’s March comeback album ‘ARIRANG’. Back in 2024, more than half of 18-24-year-olds surveyed by Key Production, the UK’s biggest vinyl packaging firm, revealed their preference for […]
$11.5 billion and the trajectory of US music royalties.
What most people don’t realize is that the system is explicitly designed so that the corporation takes almost zero risk, keeps permanent ownership of the valuable assets, the music itself, and passes all financial debts onto the creators. Universal Music Group is the largest music company in the world, capturing roughly thirty-two percent of the […]
The 5 Free Music Distribution Services Still Standing in 2026 (And What ‘Free’ Actually Costs)
The paid-subscriber pecking order by MIDiA Research’s end-2025 market share model: Spotify (31.4% of global subs, 293M official) → Tencent Music (13.8%, 127.4M paying users in China, last official figure Q4 2025) → Apple Music (12.6%, estimated ~100M, Apple has not officially disclosed since June 2023) → YouTube Music (12.4%, 125M official combined Music + […]
CD Sales Growth Outpaced Vinyl in the First Half of 2026
The report suggested that “price accessibility” could be a factor behind the trend, while also show the importance of physical fandom in K-pop culture, and the success of BTS’s March comeback album ‘ARIRANG’. Back in 2024, more than half of 18-24-year-olds surveyed by Key Production, the UK’s biggest vinyl packaging firm, revealed their preference for […]
The Music Industry’s Paradox: Rising Profits, Falling Artist Pay
What most people don’t realize is that the system is explicitly designed so that the corporation takes almost zero risk, keeps permanent ownership of the valuable assets, the music itself, and passes all financial debts onto the creators. Universal Music Group is the largest music company in the world, capturing roughly thirty-two percent of the […]
Dance Music, Decoded — In Your Inbox
Weekly drops, chart moves, and the stories behind the records. No spam, no filler — just the floor.