Music Business Worldwide

The latest music news from Music Business Worldwide, News, jobs and analysis for the global music industry and on artists new releases and where to get new mp3 songs.

1. Wireless boss Melvin Benn defends Kanye West booking: ‘We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature.’

   Benn's statement comes as the fallout from the booking continues to mount.

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2. Former HYBE execs behind BTS launch global K-pop audition, eyeing 2027 debut for first boy group

   The company is in search for members of a boy group it plans to debut in 2027

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3. Music publishers tell judge X’s antitrust lawsuit is ‘retaliation’ against their 2023 copyright lawsuit

   The publishers claim X never attempted to secure an individual license and that X cannot cite an example of a music publisher rejecting such a request.

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4. Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square bids to buy Universal Music Group in $64 billion deal

   "UMG's stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business and importantly, all of them can be addressed with this transaction," says Ackman

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5. Pepsi and Diageo withdraw sponsorship of UK’s Wireless Festival as Kanye West booking sparks backlash

   "We have informed the organizers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival," said a company spokesperson.

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6. A folk musician had her voice cloned by AI – and her recordings claimed by a copyright troll. Welcome to 2026.

   Gamma-owned Vydia caught in controversy over musician whose videos were claimed against

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7. Tuma Basa exits YouTube after eight years with Google platform

   Basa was previously Global Programming Head of Hip-Hop at Spotify, where he became closely associated with the platform's RapCaviar playlist

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8. Providence-backed ATG Entertainment launches ATG Live, a dedicated concerts, comedy and events division across 18 US venues

   "We see tremendous opportunity ahead and are excited to continue expanding our reach while delivering unforgettable experiences for audiences and partners across the U.S."

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9. IMPALA was unhappy about UMG’s purchase of Downtown. Now it says WMG’s Revelator acquisition is ‘bad news for artists, fans, and Europe’s diversity’.

   "It is testament to the innovation in the independent sector that Revelator has been bought by Warner," IMPALA said in its statement

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10. Yale Law School scholars back UMG in Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation fight, arguing rapper ‘consented’ to Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics

    The Floyd Abrams Institute brief advances an argument that wasn't previously central in the case: that Drake consented to the allegedly defamatory statements, barring his lawsuit under established defamation law.

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