The globalization of music has never been more visible, or more difficult to define. Streaming platforms have made virtually every song available to listeners around the world, but global availability doesn't necessarily translate into sustained success. Some genres dominate neighboring countries before crossing oceans. Others spread through fandoms rather than social media. Some even build audiences through diaspora communities, while others become cultural exports in their own right. — Emad Khatab, Sarah Klovobes / Chartmetric

This transformation is arriving as entertainment companies face relentless demand for more content in more formats: theatrical trailers, teaser cuts, social edits, international versions, short-form spots, alternate endings, clean versions, stems ((single isolated parts of a song), and localization-sensitive music beds. AI can expand the number of creative options available, but only if the underlying workflow protects the people and rights that make commercial music possible. — Dr. Myles E. Mangram

Join Eric Knight from MUBUTV as he sits down in conversation with Mixing Legend Chris Lord-Alge: His Mixing Secrets, Studio Stories & advice. In this exclusive interview, iconic mix engineer Chris reveals why his approach to mixing hasn’t changed since 1976 and shares invaluable insights from decades at the mixing board for Green Day, Slipknot, Muse, Elton John, and more. Discover how Chris navigates band dynamics, the truth about modern mastering, his thoughts on remote collaboration, and why “focus mode” is the secret sauce for great records. — Ritch Esra / MUBUTV

The Undiscovered Showman is Wayne B. Olivieri’s firsthand account of more than four decades spent chasing the rock & roll dream through the New Jersey and New York music scene. Written and narrated by Olivieri himself, the audiobook takes listeners inside the performances, recording studios, friendships, disappointments, near-misses and unforgettable encounters that happen just outside the spotlight. His journey includes a 17-year close friendship with Jon Bon Jovi, beginning before Bon Jovi’s success and continuing for 15 years after he became a global superstar, along with encounters with Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, Sebastian Bach, members of The Rascals and others. This isn’t a story about becoming a superstar. It’s the story of what it takes to spend a lifetime chasing the dream. — Aaron Davison / Musician & Entrepreneur

There is one number almost every artist checks the morning after a campaign launches. It sits at the top of the Spotify for Artists dashboard, updates in near real-time and has become the industry’s default shorthand for whether a release is working. The problem? It’s the wrong number and the music industry has become obsessed with it. — James Plimmer / Digital Music News / Now Listen / NPR

Some admit to spending thousands of dollars for barricade spots and other VIP perks at concerts, which is becoming more common — Rosalind Adams / The Guardian

Using Luminate’s 2025 streaming data, Darryl looks at the enormous portion of the music catalog that is uneconomical to manually transcribe, sync, and translate. He argues that AI-assisted workflows can lower that threshold enough to bring millions more songs into the addressable lyrics catalog, generating new opportunities for lyric displays and royalties. At LyricFind, he says the addressable market is growing fast enough that it actually makes economic sense to double the company’s human content team. — Darryl Ballantyne, Founder / CEO / LyricFind

“We deliberately concentrated on the parts of a music business where AI can assist people in their jobs rather than trying to replace the reason the industry exists in the first place. “So let AI monitor data 24/7. Let it find anomalies. Let it spot a royalty issue or a commercial opportunity that somebody might otherwise miss.” — Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide

The founder of Los Angeles management company Monotone (and a partner with Rick Yorn’s film and TV shingle LBI Entertainment) has stayed defiantly independent in a business that keeps trying to consolidate: no company website, no social media… answerable to no one but the artists he represents. — Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide

The intimate conversation will explore the art and science of artist development in the modern music business, the enduring importance of A&R instincts in an era increasingly shaped by data and technology, and the rapidly evolving global music marketplace. Lowe and Glass will also discuss the philosophy and entrepreneurial culture behind Glassnote’s emergence as one of the world’s leading independent international music companies — A&R Worldwide

From 1 October, Proper will handle physical distribution for Ace Records to record shops across the UK & Ireland, ending decades of the label managing its physical in-house – the last UK indie to do so. Celebrating its 50th anniversary last year, Ace has released 5,772 albums and sold more than 12 million units, with a catalogue featuring artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, B.B. King, and The Sonics, alongside compilations curated by Bob Dylan, Paul Weller, Jarvis Cocker, and David Holmes. Ace’s historic Chiswick Records imprint (Motörhead, The Damned) is also set to relaunch as a standalone label in 2027. — Andre Paine / MusicWeek

“I knew that, ultimately, I’d never have to work again unless I wanted to, if I didn’t fuck that record up.” — Dave Roberts / Music Business Worldwide

They argue that while licensing hubs have simplified pan-European music rights administration, the system has become an oligopoly and created challenges around transparency and data access for smaller societies. They question whether scale remains essential under current EU rules, making the case for more tailored licensing strategies built around individual repertoires, data and specialist knowledge. — Linda Collin & Åsa Enström, / Rights Intelligence