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. Sony Music Publishing wins Pop Publisher of the Year at 2026 BMI Awards… as Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Luther’ takes Song of the Year

   SMP landed the title for representing 24 of the previous year's most-performed songs.

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2. Listeners engage less deeply with music labeled as AI – even when it’s actually human-made, academic study finds

   The Wu and Holmes paper was based on two preregistered studies involving 399 US participants

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3. Tencent Music investors see ByteDance’s Soda as a major threat. What is it, and why are they so worried?

   MBW explains why Soda Music has become such a preoccupation for TME's shareholders.

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4. BMG acquires publishing interests in catalog of Jet, the band behind ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’, expanding on 2023 recordings deal

   Jet released three studio albums and have sold more than 6.5 million records worldwide

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5. Universal Music India strikes global distribution deal with indie artist services company first.wav

   Company's operations span artist management, music distribution, and marketing

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6. UMG strikes partnerships with two mental health firms to expand support for artists and songwriters

   The company teamed up with Amber Health and Project Healthy Minds to expand services for its artists, songwriters and employees.

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7. Tencent Music’s $2.4B Ximalaya takeover cleared by China’s competition watchdog – with conditions

   China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued an announcement on Tuesday (May 12) granting conditional approval to the USD $2.4 billion cash-and-stock deal, nearly a year after Tencent Music first unveiled the transaction in a June 2025 SEC filing.

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8. Jury orders Kanye West to pay over $438,000 over unauthorized sample at ‘Donda’ listening party

   A manager for Artists Revenue Advocates said they will appeal the larger part of the case, hoping to secure larger damages.

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9. HYBE overhauls brand identity as it pushes further into superfans and technology

   HYBE says it looks to become “an entertainment lifestyle platform company built on both music and technology.”

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10. Indie-pop duo The Twigs sues FKA Twigs back, seeking to ban her from performing under the name

    The indie-pop duo that registered the trademark “The Twigs” in 1996 asked the court to block her pending US trademark application.

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