The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) revealed its 2026-2027 Board of Directors on Tuesday (July 7), alongside its new Executive Committee and Advisory Board members.

Glen Barros, Managing Partner of Exceleration Music, will chair A2IM‘s Executive Committee.

Louis Posen, Founder and President of Hopeless Records, will serve as Treasurer, while David Barnes, COO of Rhymesayers Entertainment, takes the role of Secretary.

Jermaine Dupri has filed an $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging that the company failed to properly pay royalties for releases from Mariah Carey, Usher, Xscape, Kris Kross and more.

Indian “AI-native” and “discovery-first” ticketing platform thumpN has launched. The platform’s key feature is an AI agent named Shadow, which people can use to find live events “through natural conversation rather than traditional search”.

For example, “fans can ask Shadow for anything from ‘a stand-up show this weekend under Rs1,500’ to ‘something fun for the family on Sunday’, and the platform understands context, intent, and taste,” says CEO Varun Khare.

Just days after marrying NFL star Travis Kelce in a star-studded New York City wedding, Taylor Swift is celebrating another major milestone. The singer-songwriter has secured a legal victory after a federal judge dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging she copied lyrics from a self-published poet.

Directors of Irish ticketing company tickets.ie, which collapsed last month, have said that the loss of two key clients and bad forecasting caused insurmountable cash flow problems. The company’s founder, who left the business last year, also says he was “saddened and shocked” by the sudden collapse

Live Nation isn’t giving up its fight over the landmark antitrust verdict that found the company illegally monopolized the live concert industry.

The entertainment giant and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, have formally asked a federal judge to either overturn the jury’s April verdict or order a new trial, arguing that legal errors and prejudicial evidence unfairly influenced the outcome. The filing represents the latest development in one of the music industry’s most closely watched legal battles, which could ultimately reshape the future of concert ticketing in the United States.

A federal judge in New York has ruled that concertgoers who purchased Ticketmaster tickets on the secondary market must take their antitrust claims to arbitration rather than pursue them in court, siding with Live Nation's argument that an arbitration clause buried in its terms of service is legally enforceable.

ROSTR has bolstered its leadership team with two strategic hires, with Jess O’Donnell joining as Head of Growth and Partnerships, and Santiago Restrepo Abisambra as Head of Latin America.

The O-1 visa has become one of the biggest obstacles facing international artists who want to tour in the U.S. Rising application costs, processing delays, and stricter documentation requirements are changing how musicians plan their careers and connect with American audiences.

It makes no difference whether you’re the head of programming content at Netflix or the PD of a small market public radio station – there’s pressure to produce appealing content for a reasonable amount of money, time, and staffing.

uinness World Records (GWR) has confirmed what everybody already knew: that Harry Styles would set a new record for most performances by an artist in a single year at London’s Wembley Stadium. Indeed, his 12-night residency on the “Together, Together” tour, June 12-July 4, has officially achieved a new world record: the longest residency by a musician at Wembley Stadium during a single run.

Some people see AI as a hellscape, but for the music industry, it’s an ‘L’ scape. Lawsuits, licensing and lobbying. And there’s no better way to understand that than reading the quarterly and annual financial reports by the major labels since 2020.

A US federal judge has ruled that only a jury can decide whether the production duo Steely & Clevie created the “dembow” rhythm used across reggaeton.

Judge André Birotte Jr. issued the decision on Wednesday (July 1), keeping alive a copyright lawsuit that names Bad Bunny, Karol G and more than 150 other artists over nearly 2,000 tracks. You can read the order in full here.

Josh Pulgarin and Scott Lee from SL Management are teaming up with Jackie Andersen and Ryan ‘Dog’ Nelson from Good Fight Management for the new venture.

The founders also have chops in other areas of the industry: Lee and Nelson in merch and ticketing, for example, while Andersen runs independent label SharpTone Records.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (GWR), the global authority on record-breaking achievements, has confirmed that Harry Styles and the Together, Together tour has officially achieved a new world record title for the Longest residency by a musician at Wembley Stadium during a single run, after completing 12 shows at the iconic London venue.

The Spice Girls have regained the rights to the 1997 Spice World movie and have plans to re-release it for their fans after a fresh edit and makeover.
Time to spice up your life! The Spice Girls have taken back the rights to the 1997 Spice World movie and have plans to re-release it. Melanie C (Sporty Spice) recently revealed the news on The Louis Theroux Podcast.

Swiss tech company Tribe Music Group has launched a catalogue-valuation tool called ValuePunks, available for artists and labels to use at no cost.

The software measures data across every rights category — streaming, physical, sync, D2C and neighbouring rights — and turns it into a catalogue assessment report.

Live Nation has asked a New York federal judge to grant judgement against a coalition of U.S. states who succeeded in their antitrust lawsuit and jury trial against the live events company. The defense argues that the court shouldn’t be so quick to “rubberstamp the jury verdict” after the states asserted that there was “sufficient evidence only by arguing there is precious little they had to prove.” As a result, the company is asking for a new trial.

For a lot of promoters, the non-concert business has become a significant driver of growth, whether that’s touring family shows or exhibitions residing in one spot for a longer stretch.

One of the current examples from Germany is Udoversum, which just opened its doors at stilwerk in Hamburg. It is an exhibition on one of the country’s most iconic artists, Udo Lindenberg.

Bruce Springsteen said during his recent PBS special, “Bruce Springsteen: Finding America in Song,” that being a true patriot is all about coming face-to-face with America’s flaws and encouraging the government and your fellow citizens to do better.

Universal Attractions Agency (UAA) has announced the addition of longtime agent Brian Swanson, who will join the agency’s rock & pop division. Brian, who is based out of Monterey, California, becomes the second agent to join UAA in the past month.

Swanson will bring his client roster to UAA, including Smash Mouth, Mike Skill of The Romantics, Mike Dawes, Mariachi Continental de San Diego, and comedian Eddie B. More roster additions will be announced soon.

With punters drinking less, running costs rising and one-third of the sector wiped out by Covid, venues and promoters are turning the business model on its head

On July 4, 2026, Italian superstar Ultimo brought together 250,000 fans at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, delivering what stands among the largest single-artist concerts ever staged in Europe.