From the Supreme Court’s Cox ruling to Primary Wave’s Kobalt deal… it’s MBW’s weekly round-up
The biggest headlines from the past few days... Source
Music News Stream
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Russ talks ownership, fan engagement and ‘making music every day’ at SXSW
About two months ago, Russ became the second-highest RIAA-certified independent rapper in history. Source
Record labels and Spotify seek $322M default judgment from pirate group Anna’s Archive
A motion for default judgment and an accompanying memorandum of law were filed on March 25. Source
Listen to Empress Of’s New Song “Dream House”
Written after Lorely Rodriguez’s home was destroyed in the California wildfires
United Talent Agency promotes seven execs to Partner within music division
Elevations span UTA LIVE, Creators, Sports and Filmed Entertainment as agency expands senior leadership ranks Source
Deezer licenses AI music detection technology to Hungarian rights organization EJI
CMO becomes first in Hungary to deploy Deezer's AI detection tech. Source
Skrillex and Young Miko Join Forces for “Duro”
The producer and Puerto Rican singer-rapper debuted the song at last year’s Ultra Miami Music Festival
The Hidden Jams wants to be the Wikipedia of music deep-cuts
Deep cuts are the lifeblood of music fandom, and now The Hidden Jams wants to become the platform where people come together to curate and discover underlooked tracks from artists’ back catalogues.…
Bandcamp adds radio shows for electronic, indie and gaming music
Bandcamp may be best known as a collection of artist-run stores selling music and merch, but as part of its curation work the company also has one foot in online radio.…
Former WMG subsidiary Uproxx now has 160m monthly viewers
The narrative of ‘artist formerly signed to a major label enjoys life as an independent musician again’ is one that pops up regularly. James Blake is the latest example.…
Distributor Symphonic acquires YouTube-focused Distro Nation
It’s been quite the path for YouTube-focused music network and distributor Distro Nation over the years. Founded as Indmusic, it was acquired by Live Nation in 2016, renamed Live Nation Video Network, then separated off again in 2024, becoming Distro Nation.…
12 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Robyn, Snail Mail, Chief Keef, and More
Stream new releases from Robyn, Snail Mail, and Chief Keef
Deezer has a customer for its AI-detection tech: EJI in Hungary
Deezer isn’t just using its in-house AI-music detection technology to announce scary updates on the ever-increasing scale of AI slop being uploaded to DSPs.…
BMG revenues fell in 2025 after selling ‘non-core’ live businesses
The 2025 annual report of BMG’s parent company Bertelsmann offers the latest insight into its music division’s financial performance. While BMG’s revenues fell in 2025, there are other positive metrics to report. The decline was 6.…
Spain’s live-music industry grew 11.2% to €807.2m last year
Spain’s Association of Musical Promoters (APM) has published its annual report, revealing the latest year-on-year growth for the country’s live-music sector. Revenues grew by 11.2% to €807.2m ($929.9m at current exchange rates) in 2025, following a 25.…
Spotify and labels seek $322m default judgement from Anna’s Archive
‘Shadow library’ website Anna’s Archive’s decision to scrape Spotify and announced that it would be making a huge stash of metadata and audio files available last year is increasingly looking like the mother of all own-goals.…
China maxxing in 2026
China’s music market is a high-velocity landscape defined by a massive untapped rural reservoir, a thriving fan economy and a digital infrastructure that often outpaces the West. In our latest Country Profile, we dive into the key numbers and market insights.…
New Reels data reveals what drives viewership
Emplifi released research last week on the specifics of what drives Reels viewership, using data from 10,110 Facebook Reels published by 704 brand pages.…
Snapchat launches AI clips format in Lens Studio
Snapchat has announced its launch of AI Clips in Lens Studio, which creators can use to design and publish AR and AI effects on Snapchat. AI Clips are a new AI-powered lens format – something that Snapchat says is like nothing else on the market right now.…
Grimes profile makes an appearance on LinkedIn
Last year, the electronic artist Grimes posted to X that she will only release her music on LinkedIn from now on – in what sounded like a joke.…