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View AllAI Lawsuit Sweeps Up Songs It Shouldn’t?
DistroKid has confirmed that some of its users' recordings have been pulled from streaming services in response to claims made by Universal Music Group, the first visible fallout of the distributor's legal fight with the label group. The company calls it a very small number, but the artists whose songs vanished are telling a louder […]
How To Get More SoundCloud Plays On Your Sets
More SoundCloud plays start with giving the right listeners a clear reason to press play. That sounds obvious, but a lot of uploads arrive with a vague title, no context and a link dropped into every available chat. Treat the page as an introduction, not just a storage spot for audio. Make the title easy […]
California Targets Ghost Listings
California has signed a new law aimed at "ghost tickets," but the fight over who carries the burden is not over. Assembly Bill 1349 bars sellers from advertising, listing or selling concert and sports tickets they do not possess or have a legal right to receive, unless an event presenter or venue authorises the sale. […]
Guetta’s Sixth Top 100 Win Sets New Record
David Guetta has taken the No. 1 spot in DJ Mag’s 2026 Top 100 DJs poll, making him the first artist to win the public vote six times. The result was revealed at Top 100 DJs LIVE at [UNVRS] in Ibiza on 6 October, fifteen years after Guetta first topped the poll in 2011. The […]
Monetise Your Live Sets In 2026
Your live set is the one part of your music nobody can copy, so treat it as your main income stream. Start with the obvious: get paid to play. That means approaching venues directly with a short, honest pitch. Who you are, what your set sounds like, a recent recording of it, and a realistic […]
The Chainsmokers Break Free After 11 Years
The Chainsmokers have gone independent after ending an 11-year run with Columbia Records and Disruptor Records. Drew Taggart and Alex Pall confirmed the split in a joint statement on 13 October, closing the label relationship that began with their 2015 single “Good Intentions” and carried them through their biggest commercial period. The statement is grateful, […]
A Quick Guide To Get Your First Music Press Feature In 2026
Your first press feature starts with making a writer's job easy. Before you contact anyone, decide what the actual story is. A new release alone is rarely enough. You may have a clear creative idea, a local scene connection, a live project, or a useful perspective on your work. If you cannot explain it plainly, […]
Tips To Promote Yourself As An Artist In 2026
Promoting yourself starts with being clear about what you want people to remember. If someone hears one track or sees one post, they should be able to understand the kind of artist you are and where they can hear more. That does not require a polished persona. It requires choices that do not contradict each […]
Streaming Fraud Case Ends In Prison
A federal judge has sentenced Michael Smith to 18 months in prison in a music-streaming fraud case built around bots and AI-generated songs. Billboard and Rolling Stone both report that Smith was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on October 6. The term will be followed by two years of supervised release, and Smith had already […]
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 […]
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 Send Your Music to DJs In 2026
Send music to DJs when you have a clear reason to believe it belongs in their world. Start by listening to the sets, radio shows, or posts they share. You are not looking for a perfect match, but you should understand the mood, pace, and context they work in. A message to the right person […]
7 Easy Content Ideas for DJs
Good DJ content does not need to look like an advert for a life nobody has. It needs to show people something real about your taste, your process, or the rooms you care about. Start with the material already around your work instead of waiting for a perfect campaign. A short clip from practice can […]
Brazil Tightens Concert Ticket Rules
Brazil has put new national rules around concert and festival ticketing into force, widening the focus beyond resale to include fees, queues, transfers and automated buying. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Decree No. 13,108 on 31 August, according to TicketNews and Brazilian outlet G1. It covers sales through box offices, websites, apps and […]
5 Things Every DJ Should Have Online
Your online presence should make it easy for a promoter, listener or collaborator to understand who you are and how to reach you. It does not need to be flashy. It needs to be current, clear and built around the work you want to do. Start with one reliable home base. This can be a […]
How To Get Your Music Featured on Blogs
Blog features rarely come from being discovered. They come from being easy to write about. Read the blog properly before you send anything. Find a writer who covers the kind of music you make, and reference something they published that connects to your track. That is the difference between a pitch and a mailshot. Keep […]
What Should Musicians Post on Instagram?
Most musicians post the same thing twice a week and then wonder why the account feels dead. The problem is rarely volume. It is that everything posted was about the release. Post the work. A clip of the take that worked on the fourth attempt, a shot of the room you write in, a page […]
How To Turn YouTube Viewers Into Music Fans
A YouTube view is the start of a relationship, not proof that someone will follow your music elsewhere. Give interested viewers a clear next step while their attention is still on the track or video. Make your artist name and the destination obvious, without turning every frame into an advert. Use the space around each […]
5 Ways To Promote Your SoundCloud Profile
A SoundCloud profile should make it easy for a new listener to understand your work in a few seconds. Start with the basics. Use a clear artist name, an image that still reads at a small size, and a short bio that says what you make without leaning on empty claims. Put one reliable contact […]
UMG sues DistroKid over AI streaming slop
Universal Music Group has filed a federal lawsuit against DistroKid, accusing the distributor of copyright infringement and deceptive trade practices connected to music it says is being presented as artist-backed work. The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, centers on allegations that DistroKid distributes AI-generated recordings without clearly identifying […]
AI Music Generator Suno Inks Major Music Label Licensing Deal
AI Music Generator Suno Inks Major Music Label Licensing Deal. As it prepares to roll out a fully licensed model, Suno has secured a global partnership agreement with BMG. The Beatles‘ rights-holding company Apple Corps has come together with Universal Music Group to ink a wide-ranging licensing and merch deal for all things related to […]
Record Roundup 38: Vinyl Sales Up Again, But Outpaced By CDs
Record Roundup 38: Vinyl Sales Up Again, But Outpaced By CDs. The UK recorded-music market topped £1.5 billion in 2025, with vinyl sales up around 18% on the year. In Record Roundup 38, CD and Vinyl sales are up again (with CDs staging a surprise surge), plus new turntables from Crosley, Flaunce and Andover Audio. […]
Suno Scores BMG Licensing Deal As New Model Takes Shape
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 […]
Growth 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 […]