Starting today, managed accounts will be available for parents and guardians to create on our free tier starting in Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, and Sweden. We know 94% of our users rely on Spotify to discover new music and artists, and more than half (54%) share what they’re listening to with their children. Managed accounts offer young listeners a space to explore music independently, while giving parents and guardians tools to guide and shape their listening environment.

The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) has rebranded as the National Association of Ticketing Professionals (NATP).

The organization claims that it better aligns with its mission “to protect consumer rights and professional standards.

Its tangle with music publishers continues to show no sign of impeding Anthropic’s ability to raise absolutely tons of money from investors and tech giants.

Jack Douglas, a top-flight rock producer whose work in the 1970s and early 1980s included John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy,” Aerosmith’s “Rocks” and “Toys in the Attic,” Cheap Trick’s debut album, Patti Smith’s “Radio Ethiopia” and more, died on Monday, according to a social media post from his family. No cause of death was cited; he was 80.

As part of Spotify’s 20th anniversary celebration, the streamer has unveiled a limited-time, mobile-only in-app experience giving users a “playful, nostalgia-driven look back at your music listening history.” It contains moments such as your first day on Spotify, the total number of unique songs you’ve listened to, your first streamed song, and your all-time most-streamed artist.

This week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Oskar Med K, a breakout Norwegian EDM producer. Oskar breaks down the “overnight” success that was actually years in the making—from the days of sending 500 cold emails to labels with no response to finding his home at 7CULT. 

Something is moving in Washington.

A recent report suggests that the Trump administration is considering a new executive order on artificial intelligence. On its face, that might sound like more of the same—another round of AI policy chatter promoted by David Sacks, the Silicon Valley lobbyist and billionaire investor who has been pushing a “don’t slow it down” approach.

It’s about time that the microdrama trend has gone mainstream.

As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it’s launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream on its app. These vertical video series, with episodes around 60 to 90 seconds, are designed for a quick, TikTok-like viewing experience.

Jana Recmanikova joins the agency's international festival team, while Kath Butler and Giulia Spadaro are elevated in international touring

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has launched a campaign to celebrate the ‘First Festivals’ of UK artists, fans and festival-goers.

The campaign running from 15-21 May, aims to highlight “the independent festival sector as the essential breeding ground for musical talent, showcasing the diversity and cultural impact of festivals that operate outside of the major corporate structures,” says the organisation.

Apple Music is inviting all of Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters to the final chapter of her Mayhem era with “Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga Mayhem Requiem.”

Lady Gaga has teamed up with Apple Music for a special recorded live performance, “Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga Mayhem Requiem.” The show was filmed live in January at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, and will drop on the music streaming platform and at 15 AMC theater locations around the U.S. on May 14 at 8 PM PT.

Mighty Hoopla Malta 2026 has been cancelled, with organisers citing growing disruption across the airline industry and concerns over rising travel costs.

The festival said airlines operating routes to Malta warned that fewer flights would be scheduled this summer, while fares were also expected to increase significantly leaving organisers in what they described as a “very different position” from when the event was first launched.

Does age matter? It may do when it comes to music superfans, according to research firm Luminate. Its latest study explores some of the differences in fandom for various demographics, and makes for interesting reading.

One finding: superfans “tend to be on the younger side, with Gen Alpha (31%), Gen Z (24%) and Millennials (25%) having the highest percentages within the fan group”. Gen X and Boomers still reach double digits with 19% and 10% respectively though.

It’s hard to remember a time when Apple’s Shazam had any kind of serious competition in the music-identification space – certainly for consumers.

The new ‘Track ID’ feature in Beatport’s mobile app won’t be causing sleepless nights in Cupertino on that front, since it’s aimed at a specific audience: DJs who want to identify tracks playing in clubs.

On May 12, 2026, Tencent Music Entertainment Group TME announced a 7% year-on-year increase in revenue for the first quarter of 2026. The company acknowledged the competitive landscape in the music streaming sector, emphasizing its commitment to evolving into an integrated music ecosystem that enhances the value of intellectual property. Recent partnerships with various music labels and a transition to a membership-based model are part of its strategy to improve user experiences and engagement.

Market Cap: $14.08 billion
GF Score™: 80/100, indicating strong potential for long-term returns
Financial Strength: Strong financial strength with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05

The Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 7, 2027, as the ceremony moves to ABC, Hulu and Disney+ in the U.S. after more than 50 years on CBS.

Nominations for the 69th annual Grammy kudos will be revealed on Nov. 16. The ceremony will originate live from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. There’s no official word on a producer yet but it is expected that Ben Winston will continue at the helm of the event that he has steered since 2021.

Downtown’s CD Baby distribution mainstay, now part of Virgin Music Group, is expanding its core distribution know-how to include full-service, hands-on support for select indie artists. Here’s more on the just-unveiled ‘Stages Selects’ offering, spearheaded by CD Baby president (and Riot Grrrl pioneer) Molly Neuman.

Ohana Festival is proud to announce the lineup for its 10th Anniversary edition, featuring Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder & Friends, Tyler Childers, Maná Alabama Shakes, Fontaines D.C., Billy Idol, Pixies, Rilo Kiley, Jon Batiste, Men I Trust, Bad Religion, and many more. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA, the oceanfront festival returns September 25–27 with more than 30 artists, three stages, thoughtfully curated environmental programming from The Cove, a sprawling outdoor art gallery, and more. 

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation
Five-year-old European military drone startup Helsing is reportedly close to raising a new $1.2 billion round at about an $18 billion valuation. The round is expected to be led by Dragoneer and co-led by existing Helsing investor Lightspeed, the Financial Times reported.

There’s a certain kind of electricity that only happens when music, movement and community collide — the kind that turns front porches into organizing hubs, tiny clubs into cultural flashpoints and strangers into lifelong collaborators. This summer, that energy is heading down America’s backroads.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Rural Progress is launching the Backroads Tour, a coast-to-coast live music run designed to celebrate the rebellious joy, cultural grit and community power that have always pulsed through rural America.

Music Will, the largest non-profit music education program for schools in the United States, held their annual benefit in New York City at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square last night on May 7. The evening supported Music Will’s mission to transform young lives through innovative, multi-genre music education programs in public schools. This year, Music Will honored 13x Grammy Award winning producer, artist and songwriter T Bone Burnett who was given his honor by Elvis Costello, Grammy Award winning and Billboard chart topping singer/songwriter Maren Morris, and Hip Hop icon and business mogul Master P. Bruce Eskowitz, COO Red Light Management, received the Inaugural Music Icon Award presented to him by Coran Capshaw (CEO, Red Light Management). Nile Rogers surprised Eskowitz on stage and a heartfelt video was submitted by Lionel Richie to congratulate Eskowitz on his award.

BraveWords Records is opening the gates!

BraveWords Records are now accepting submissions from bands around the world to be featured on “KnuckleTracks Volume One” — a compilation of the hardest, heaviest, loudest, and most unrelenting tracks in metal today. If you have a great rock song, we want to hear it!

What exactly is KnuckleTracks you ask? It was the name of Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles world famous official CD sampler that came free with every issue of the magazine, when it was launched in February/March 1997 (Issue No. 16).

Spotify is celebrating its 20th anniversary by launching a fan experience looking back on listening habits throughout the years, like something akin to a personalized time capsule.