Warner Music Group acquires DWA and Extravaganza catalogues

Warner Music Italy and Warner Chappell Music Italy subsidiaries are buying the catalogue of independent Italo Disco label DWA Records, as well as the catalogue of its publishing arm Extravaganza.

45 years ago, the Walkman changed how we listen to music

In 1979, Sony premiered the Walkman to limited fanfare. Now, the entire music tech market has formed around it.

Tunetu uses AI to make custom music for brands and influencers

While Tunetu is using AI to “streamline the music production process” the company stressed in its announcement that “every song is polished by a team of seasoned producers”. It is currently charging $79 per track.

Apple Fitness+ adds new programs and Artist Spotlight workouts

The tech giant is capitalising on the annual scramble to shed the Christmas pounds with some new features and workouts in its Apple Fitness+ service.

Benn Jordan has made an algorithm that can detect if a music has been made by AI or not

In a new YouTube video, Jordan unpacks how using the power of missing song data from file compression can catch and identify artists who download AI-generated music from sites such as Suno and Udio, and then upload it to streaming platforms such as Spotify to make royalties.

UK music sales and streaming subscriptions grew 7.4% in 2024

The news is positive: growth of 7.4% for this music spending to £2.39bn ($2.97bn at current exchange rates) in 2024, which ERA noted was an all-time record, beating the £2.22bn bar set in 2001 – insert your own ‘figures not adjusted for inflation’ caveat here, of course.

Meta’s User Generated Chatbots Mimic Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, & More

In July 2024, Meta introduced the ability for its users of Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp to create their own chatbots. Now six months on, users are breaking Meta’s terms of service for the bots by building them around real people—including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Elon Musk religious figures, and other fictional characters.

PlaylistSupply Gets Ready for a Big Year with Expanded Services, New Artist Tools, Partnerships

Built as an all-in-one solution for playlist research and promotion, the PlaylistSupply platform helps artists and their teams find relevant playlists faster, making the whole process more efficient.

Does Vodafone’s ‘The Rhythm of Life’ Chart a Future for AI Ads?

The first time we saw Vodafone’s “The Rhythm of Life,” created entirely through AI, we thought, “It’s good they managed to get all those fingers and toes right.”

Global generative-AI funding nearly tripled in 2024 to $56bn

Funding has been pouring into the generative AI (GenAI) sector in the past couple of years. Now we know how much those investments grew in 2024.

YouTube partners with Creative Artists Agency on AI deepfake recognition tools

“CAA’s clients’ direct experience with digital replicas... will be critical in shaping a tool that responsibly empowers and protects creators."

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