What Summer Slowdown? September Music Funding Quickly Surges Past $1.65 Billion (And Counting)
After a relatively tame July and August, music industry funding levels returned to surge mode in September. But does that mean the funding party is back?
Unit1 Studio Raises $26.7 Million to Scale Avatar-Based Concert Touring Tech
Mixed-reality concert firm Unit 1 Studio raises $26.7 million in a new funding round to expand its technology and grow its roster of avatar-based concerts.
UK-based mixed-reality concert production firm Unit... Read More...
Apollo Craftily Scores a $1.25 Billion Ownership Chunk of BMG+Concord
Apollo reveals that its managed funds and affiliates have provided a $1.25 billion equity capital solution to support the BMG+Concord merger.
American asset management firm Apollo Global Management has revea... Read More...
U.S. Recorded Music Revenue Approached $6 Billion in H1 2026 Amid Double-Digit Vinyl and CD Gains, RIAA Report Shows
Thanks to solid paid streaming growth – and double-digit revenue hikes across vinyl, CDs, and sync alike – U.S. recorded music revenue is said to have approached $6 billion during 2026’s opening half.
These... Read More...
BMG Reports $515 Million in H1 2026 Revenue, Says It’s Spent Nearly $1.9 Billion on Song Rights Since 2021
Ahead of the anticipated close of its Concord merger, BMG has identified roughly $515 million (€444 million) in H1 2026 revenue and confirmed dropping almost $1.9 billion on music IP to date.
That Q1 and Q2 ... Read More...
Forget Lawsuits—WMG is Already Counting Its Cash from AI Licensing Deals, with Suno Topping the List
WMG plows ahead with more AI licensing deals, counting its money while UMG and Sony continue to duke it out in court with AI companies like Suno and Udio.
While Universal and Sony continue battling it out wi... Read More...
Roblox is Losing Billions As States Mount Investigations—But the Company Blames a Lack of Viral Games
Roblox loses $70 billion in value as platform growth plateaus, largely thanks to child protection concerns. But the company blames a lack of viral games on its platform.
Roblox has lost a staggering $70 bill... Read More...
Spotify Reports 300 Million Paid Subs and 494 Million Ad-Supported MAUs for Q2 2026 — But Warns User Growth Will Slow as It Begins ‘To Pull the Monetization Lever’
Spotify’s Q2 2026 financials are in, and thanks in part to 300 million paid subscribers, the DSP is now knocking on the door of 800 million overall users. However, execs are anticipating slower growth for 202... Read More...
Warner Music Reports Q2 2026 Financials Early Following Executive Shakeup, UMG’s Post-Earnings Stock Plummet
Following an abrupt leadership shakeup on Friday afternoon – and a double-digit post-earnings falloff for Universal Music stock – Warner Music Group (WMG) has released its “preliminary estimated” financials f... Read More...
Live Nation Stock Dips Despite Solid Q2 2026 Financials — CEO Michael Rapino Pushes Back Against ‘Blue Dot Fever’ Concerns
Another day, another seemingly solid earnings report accompanied by a share-price slip: Live Nation stock (NYSE: LYV) is down 5% today after the company posted 9.4% revenue growth for Q2 2026.
That bump ele... Read More...
SiriusXM Posts Mixed Q2 2026 Financials — Including Flat Revenue, Record-Low Churn, and a 17% Net Income Jump
SiriusXM has revealed a mixed-bag performance for Q2 2026, when its revenue grew modestly but net income spiked and self-pay churn hit a record low.
The satellite radio giant and Pandora parent revealed it... Read More...
The Ad-Supported Free Lunch Is Over In India: UMG India Is Now Putting All New Streaming Releases Behind a Paywall for 72 Hours — Across All Streaming Platforms
Universal Music Group India will begin triggering a 72-hour paywall for new releases, according to Sir Lucian Grainge during UMG’s earnings call. But is that enough to transform India into a higher-paying pre... Read More...
