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
If you’re an independent musician trying to grow your fanbase and get your music heard, you already know TikTok is more than just a trend. It’s one of the most powerful platforms for music discovery today. Now, TikTok has launched something new to make it even easier for artists to take control of their own
TikTok For Artists: The New Analytics Tool Every Independent Musician Needs Read More »
Spotify has confirmed that European artists earned a record-breaking €1.7 billion in royalties from the platform in 2024; a 15% increase from the previous year, and almost double the total paid out in 2020. The announcement comes alongside another major milestone: Spotify has now surpassed 100 million paying subscribers in Europe. The figures, shared as
Spotify Hits 100 Million EU Subscribers As Artist Revenues Reach All-Time High Read More »
TikTok has expanded its music discovery features with a major new partnership: SoundCloud is now integrated into TikTok’s Add To Music App. The feature, which allows users to save tracks they discover on TikTok directly to their favourite streaming platforms, has already become a go-to tool for music fans. Since its global launch in 2024,
SoundCloud Joins TikTok’s Add To Music App To Boost Music Discovery And Fan Engagement Read More »
