News and Trends

Both appointments are effective immediately, Music Services said on Tuesday (September 29). Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sesac-music-groups-music-services-division-appoints-nick-lapointe-senior-director-of-business-development-jay-sudarma-promoted-to-vp-of-marketing/

Latin music accounted for 9.1% of total US recorded music revenue in H1 2026, up from 8.8% at the mid-point of 2025. Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/us-latin-recorded-music-revenues-reached-542-2m-in-h1-2026-up-8-6-yoy-outpacing-the-overall-us-market/

Max Ciociola turned Musixmatch into the world’s largest lyrics company. Now, with backing from TPG – and having struck a deal with Suno for a copyright-detection tool called Sentinel – it’s on a path to becoming something much bigger… Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/musixmatch-lyrics-are-becoming-the-llm-of-the-music-industry/

Alejandro Duque promoted, as Aaron Bay-Schuck is confirmed as the sole Chairman and CEO of Warner Records Group Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/val-blavatnik-joins-elliot-grainge-adds-ada-simon-robson-exits/

Michael Smith's lawyers argued that his scheme caused only "tiny, immeasurable losses" spread across millions of songwriters and artists, Billboard reported. Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/man-who-pocketed-8m-using-ai-songs-and-bot-streams-asks-for-no-prison-time-arguing-no-artist-suffered-any-perceptible-harm/

The decision points the case toward a jury trial, four and a half years after it was filed by Sound and Color, LLC. Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sam-smith-and-normani-must-face-a-jury-over-dancing-with-a-stranger-as-judge-refuses-to-end-copyright-case/