Spotify’s new Reserved ticketing program is generating debate across the live music industry, with booking agents questioning whether the feature could shift control of valuable fan relationships away from artists and their teams and toward the streaming platform. Launched in May, Spotify Reserved gives select “top fans” early access to purchase up to two tickets for participating tours before they go on sale to the general public. 

Casey Wasserman may soon be no longer on The Team.

After being pressured to set up an auction for his Westwood-based firm that drew interest from United Talent Agency, Patrick Whitesell’s upstart shingle WIN and other suitors, the sale of his company may not go to any outside party.

Facebook is planning some big changes to try and keep its users from jumping to rival social platforms like TikTok — changes that sound dubiously similar to becoming a TikTok clone. Facebook head Tom Alison announced today that the platform will begin testing a “reimagined experience” later this year that will put a subset of users into a “full-screen video the moment they open the app.”

Indian AI video-generation platform Atlabs•ai has launched three new music video agents that have specifically been trained for indie artists, kids’ rhymes, and faith music. The Gurugram-headquartered startup was founded in 2024 by former Indian Institute of Technology batch-mates Archit Rathi and Tushar Tuteja.

Versions of Amy Winehouse and hundreds of other musicians are generating millions for beleaguered UK venues. But what is the emotional toll for the imitators, and are they pushing out original artists?

The initial reaction to the Spotify-Kalshi controversy over Malcolm Todd’s “Earrings” is easy to understand. “Music prediction markets are dangerous. Streaming charts can be gamed. Shut the whole thing down before it gets worse!”

The Beach Boys‘ endless summer has run into a hitch. The touring version of the group, led by sole remaining original member Mike Love, has called off six weeks’ worth of concerts scheduled for this summer, amounting to nearly 30 dates, citing the need to “recharge” before hitting the road again in the fall.

A new Roblox experience from Live Nation and Livewire lets players build their own music festivals, featuring CORTIS as the first headlining artist.

Last month, independent-music streaming service Nina Protocol announced that it was shutting down, admitting that it had been “unable to find a revenue strategy that would give Nina a path to sustainability at its current size”.

Today, a development: SoundCloud has acquired Nina Protocol, with CEO Eliah Seton praising its founders for creating “an incredible platform by putting independent artists, scenes, and communities first”.

When Donald Trump appointed himself Chair of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC last year, Ben Folds quit his role as artistic advisor to the US National Symphony Orchestra, which is based at the venue. Yesterday he told Congress about the “partisan toxic environment” Trump’s involvement caused 

Music Venue Properties has acquired The Pipeline in Brighton, marking the 10th grassroots music venue it has secured.

Greensky Bluegrass have been tapped to fill Tedeschi Trucks Band's main-stage slot at FloydFest 2026. The jamgrass outfit will headline this Friday, July 24 at the five-day festival held at FestivalPark in Check, Virginia.

Tedeschi Trucks Band was forced to cancel appearances at this weekend's Newport Folk & FloydFest festivals due to Susan Tedeschi's appendix surgery. Father John Misty has replaced TTB on the Newport Folk lineup.

Patreon is laying off 20% of its workforce, or 93 people, CEO Jack Conte told employees on Thursday. In a memo to staff that was shared online by the company, Conte said Patreon’s core business is strong but that the platform has to respond to market changes and adjust its cost structure to remain stable, which is why it needs to make the “painful” but necessary cuts.

We’re launching Facebook Verified, a free badge that verifies there’s a real person behind a profile using a simple selfie-based verification process. The badge appears where it matters most on Facebook, with no subscription fee.

Directed by Tyler Measom (Murder Among Mormons, An Honest Liar ) and Craig A. Williams, If These Walls Could Rock features rare archival footage, vivid animation and candid interviews, the film tells the story of rock n’ roll through the lens of this legendary hotel as shared by the artists who call it home – including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Billy Bob Thornton, Slash, Dave Grohl, Cyndi Lauper, Morrissey, Sheryl Crow, Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliot, Nancy Wilson, Steve Van Zandt and many more.

India‘s paid music streaming subscriber base could grow to between 28 million and 30 million by 2028, up from an estimated 14 million as of December 2025, according to the EY and the Indian Music Industry (IMI) “How India Listens, Streams and Pays for Music” report, released Friday in Mumbai.

To some people, Suno is an AI-music generator that could democratise the art of music-making so that billions of people can do it – which is a terrible idea, devised by terrible people who hate musicians.

A federal judge has officially rejected Capitol Christian Music Group’s motion to dismiss a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Reach Records. Now, the case, centering on an acquisition deal turned sour, is scheduled to receive a trial next year.

Major music publishers including BMG/Concord are doubling down on their copyright claims against Anthropic, which is now facing dialed-back secondary infringement allegations and high-stakes direct infringement claims.

Day four for the UK’s new prime minister Andy Burnham has brought some good news for the grassroots music circuit: a 20% cut in business rates for venues, clubs and pubs.

Are people dropping off your social feeds? Arguably many of us might not realise immediately, with a growing stream of AI slop and influencer videos being injected into those feeds by the platforms instead.

Still, a report from data-privacy firm Incogni aims to shed some light on the trend, warning that “people are quietly withdrawing from active participation in social media”.