Earlier this year, DMN Pro revealed some eyebrow-raising news: Apple Music had unexpectedly moved past Spotify’s US-based premium subscriber total during the first quarter of 2026. Now, a dogfight might be emerging: per data shared and analyzed by DMN Pro, Apple quickly ceded its lead to Spotify by the end of the first half.

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?

$100 million is nothing to sneeze at, though by music industry funding standards of late, it’s a pittance. As such, aggregated funding levels struggled to cross the 9-figure threshold in July and August, part of a relatively sluggish Q3 2026 that could indicate a cool-down in an unprecedented music IP-investment surge.

The streaming music space has been chock full o’ surprises in 2026, particularly for a ‘mature’ and plateauing space. But despite eye-popping subscriber surges by YouTube Music and a sudden first-place finish by Apple Music in the United States, premium subscriber levels at Amazon Music have been steadily eroding. DMN Pro first raised this issue in 2024; in this report, we look at what the latest data indicates through Q1 of 2026. Report Table of Contents I. Amazon Music's Subscriber Slide: What the ... Read More...

Last month, DMN Pro exclusively revealed that Apple Music had quietly surpassed Spotify in the critical US-based subscriber race. Now, more intel shared with Digital Music News shows that a growing number of Apple Music subscribers are appearing in broader Apple One bundles.

For nearly two decades, YouTube has been a dominant platform in music streaming, though almost exclusively as a free, ad-supported option. Fast forward to 2026, and that story is starting to shift. But can the fast-rising YouTube Music premium platform eventually surpass market leaders like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music? That depends on how you look at the latest subscriber data. YouTube Music is already top-of-the-roost among music DSPs in South Korea – though a surging growth story is now em... Read More...

After lengthy periods playing second fiddle, Apple Music has now strongly moved past Spotify to claim the most US-based premium subscribers, according to exhaustive Q1 2026 data shared and analyzed by DMN Pro. The decisive shift suggests Apple is smartly leveraging pricing, bundling, and interface simplicity to lure subscribers in a mature high-ARPU market.

Capital keeps funneling into the global music industry at record rates, with Q2 2026 smashing expectations once again.

Supporters say secondary ticket price caps are a necessary complement to ongoing antitrust enforcement against Live Nation – and an important protection for concertgoers. But with their business models at risk, secondary resale representatives warn that caps are “a gift to Live Nation Ticketmaster’s shareholders disguised as consumer protection.”

In a heated legal battle against indie musicians, Google just dropped a very sobering bomb. Accusations of content infringement for AI training are irrelevant, according to Google, simply because they already have the rights to use millions of songs for AI training – as much or as little as they want. In this report, we take a closer look at Google’s claims and who would be impacted if they stand up in court.

Cashing the $2 billion check is the easy part. But can Garth Brooks, a notoriously controlling IP owner, handle the realities of what really happens after a catalog transfer?

Universal Music Group and Spotify popped the champagne this week on ‘landmark licensing agreements,’ with both sides potentially scoring big wins if things work out.