Spotify paid out more than $11 billion to artists and the wider music industry in 2025, according to a statement on the Spotify for Artists blog by Charlie Hellman, Spotify’s Head of Music. The total marks a year-on-year increase of over 10 percent and is the largest annual payout to music creators from any retailer […]
Spotify Paid Over $11bn To Artists In 2025 Read More »
More than half of the UK’s grassroots music venues operated at a loss in 2025, according to new figures from the Music Venue Trust, underlining the fragile state of the country’s live music ecosystem. MVT’s Annual Report 2025 reveals that 53 percent of grassroots music venues failed to turn a profit last year, despite the
UK Grassroots Music Venues Struggled To Break Even In 2025, New Data Shows Read More »
Most Gen Z and millennial listeners in the US are already spending time each week with AI-generated music, according to new research from Morgan Stanley. The bank’s latest annual survey of audio habits is the first to ask directly about AI music. Its findings suggest that AI tracks are quietly becoming part of everyday listening,
Majority Of Young Americans Listen To AI Music, Morgan Stanley Claims Read More »
Ed Sheeran has added a modern twist to traditional album sales with the launch of Play, released on 12 September 2025. Alongside its streaming push, Sheeran introduced a unique piece of merchandise that doubles as a chart-eligible format: the Play Portman Road Commemorative Lanyard. What are Ed Sheeran’s Play NFC lanyards? The pink lanyards, created
Ed Sheeran’s Play Album Gets Innovative NFC Lanyard Release Read More »
The Weeknd has set another record. His global smash Blinding Lights has become the first song in history to surpass five billion streams on Spotify. Spotify executives confirmed the milestone on 31 August 2025, posting on Instagram: “On August 31st, 2025, The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights became the first song to reach 5 billion streams on
The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Becomes First Song To Reach 5 Billion Spotify Streams Read More »
UK Music’s Hometown Glory report, released July 1, reveals that music tourism in the UK hit an all-time high in 2024. A record 23.5 million “music tourists” flocked to concerts and festivals, an increase of roughly 23 percent year on year, generating a total spend of £10 billion, up from around £8 billion in 2023 Key highlights 23.5 million
UK Music Tourism Hits £10 Billion For The First Time In 2024 Read More »
Earlier this month (June 2025), Budweiser’s Iconic Sounds campaign picked up the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions for Audio and Radio. But the brand is now facing widespread backlash, not for the idea itself, but for how it sidestepped music licensing. The campaign featured one-second snippets of iconic songs by Beyoncé, The Beatles, Taylor Swift,
Budweiser’s Cannes-Winning TikTok Campaign Slammed For Unpaid Music Use Read More »
Streaming fraud is surging and artificial intelligence is at the centre of it. A new report from French music streaming platform Deezer claims that up to 70% of streams of AI-generated tracks on its service are fraudulent. While songs made by artificial intelligence account for just 0.5% of all Deezer plays, a large chunk of
Report: 70% Of AI-Generated Music Streams On Deezer Are Fraudulent Read More »
Egyptian artists are reaching new heights on the global stage and the latest Spotify report shows just how far they’ve come. Spotify has released its Loud & Clear music economics report in Egypt for the first time, offering hard data on how the country’s musicians are turning streams into sustainable careers. The headline? A fivefold
Spotify Report Reveals Global Boom For Egyptian Music Read More »
Fresh data from Blackstar, Lemontank, and the BPI reveals what 18–25-year-olds really want from music in 2024 A new report titled Seeking Community: Gen Z’s True Relationship with Culture and Music Consumption explores how young people across the UK consume and connect with music. Commissioned by Blackstar and Lemontank in partnership with the BPI, the
