music industry

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You May Not Even Notice Today's Most Popular Music
You May Not Even Notice
Today's Most Popular Music
longform
Mar 21, 2026 11:10 AM CDT

You May Not Even Notice Today's Most Popular Music

New York Times Magazine digs into the booming industry of background 'sync' music

(Newser) - Call it the music you hear everywhere—and notice nowhere. In the New York Times Magazine , Ryan Francis Bradley dives into the booming world of "sync" music, a vast, largely invisible industry built on songs designed not for radio, but for background: TV shows, ads, YouTube clips, TikToks. Behind...

To Advance Tina Turner's Legacy, a 'Strategic Transaction'

Pophouse scoops up majority stake in late singer's catalog, will jointly manage it with BMG

(Newser) - Tina Turner's songbook just landed a new steward. Sweden's Pophouse Entertainment, co-founded by ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus, has become the majority owner of the late singer's music interests in a deal with her estate and BMG, the companies announced. Financial terms for the so-called "strategic transaction"...

It's a Four-Peat for Taylor Swift
It's a Four-Peat
for Taylor Swift
Feb 18, 2026 2:15 PM CST

It's a Four-Peat for Taylor Swift

IFPI honor marks her record sixth global sales crown

(Newser) - Taylor Swift just notched another music milestone—one that puts her in a league of her own. The IFPI has named her the world's top-selling artist of 2025, marking her fourth straight year at No. 1 on its Global Artist Chart and her sixth time at No. 1 overall...

Christian, Latin Tunes Lead Surge in US Streaming

Global music industry hit 5.1T streams in 2025, with acts like Bad Bunny, Brandon Lake driving US push

(Newser) - The global music industry hit 5.1 trillion streams in 2025—a new single-year record, up 9.6% from 2024, which held the previous record, according to a 2025 year-end report from industry data and analytics firm Luminate. In the US, on-demand audio streams hit 1.4 trillion, a 4....

Singing's Biggest Health Risk: Fame
Singing
Stardom
Comes With
a Shorter Life
NEW STUDY
Dec 6, 2025 10:10 AM CST

Singing Stardom Comes With a Shorter Life

Research says becoming a famous singer has serious consequences

(Newser) - Being a famous singer may sound glamorous, but a new study suggests it also comes with a considerable occupational hazard: an early death. According to a new study, famous singers die roughly four years younger than their less-famous musical counterparts. BMJ Group reports the study tracked 648 singers across the...

Why Your Vinyl Record Is Missing Songs

The vinyl tracklist can be very different from what you know

(Newser) - If you're one of the many audiophiles embracing the soaring popularity of vinyl LPs and you think something sounds a little different from what you're used to streaming, you're not hearing things—very literally. As NPR reports, it's becoming increasingly common for physical versions of albums...

Music Shop in Wayne's World Closing After Nearly 80 Years

Ed Intagliata, owner of Cassell's Music, is retiring, ending a San Fernando tradition

(Newser) - Cassell's Music, a longtime San Fernando fixture and a filming location for the 1992 comedy Wayne's World, is shutting its doors after nearly 80 years. Owner Ed Intagliata, now 71, is retiring, leaving behind decades spent helping budding musicians, per the Los Angeles Times .
  • Origins: Founded in
...

Music Streaming Service Makes Big Move Against AI

Paris-based Deezer will now flag albums with songs generated by artificial intelligence

(Newser) - Music streaming service Deezer said Friday that it will start flagging albums with AI-generated songs, part of its fight against streaming fraudsters. Deezer, based in Paris, is grappling with a surge in music on its platform created using artificial intelligence tools it says are being wielded to earn royalties fraudulently....

Napster Just Sold for $207M
Napster Just Sold for $207M
Mar 26, 2025 11:10 AM CDT

Napster Just Sold for $207M

Tech startup hopes to transform the service once known for music piracy into a social music platform

(Newser) - A brand that was notoriously connected to music piracy before reemerging as a subscription music service has been sold to Infinite Reality for $207 million. The tech startup announced Tuesday it had bought Napster in hopes of transforming the streaming service into a social music platform where artists can connect...

Some of UK's Biggest Musicians Release Silent Album

It was released to protest proposed copyright law changes that benefit AI companies

(Newser) - Some of the biggest names in the British music industry have joined forces to release an album without any music. Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, and Annie Lennox are among more than 1,000 artists behind a silent album called Is This What We Want?, reports the BBC . It was released...

This Year's Rock Hall Nominations Include 8 Newbies

Phish and OutKast among them

(Newser) - Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, and Phish are some the 2025 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a list that also includes two sets of musical brothers who've had public feuds and recent reunions—the Black Crowes and Oasis. The Hall revealed...

The Drake-Kendrick Lamar Feud Just Amped Up Another Notch

Drake's pre-lawsuit petition claims Universal Music Group artificially inflated popularity of diss track

(Newser) - Drake was not impressed to see the numbers for Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," a diss track accusing Drake of pedophilia . The track, declared "one of the hip-hop moments of the year," snagged numerous Spotify records, including "most-streamed diss track" with more than 900...

Quincy Jones Dies: 'There Will Never Be Another Like Him'

Music producer and film composer is dead at 91

(Newser) - Quincy Jones, the multitalented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson's historic Thriller album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91, reports the AP . Jones' publicist says he died...

Sum 41 Frontman: I Was Groomed by Ex-Manager

Deryck Whibley accuses Treble Charger's Greig Nori of sexual abuse from 1998 to 2002

(Newser) - Deryck Whibley can still recall his elation when, at 16, he snuck backstage at a Treble Charger concert to meet lead singer Greig Nori and left with his phone number. Nori, then 34, was a hero to Whibley, a fellow Canadian who was trying to get his punk band, Sum...

Scooter Braun Says He's Out of the Management Biz

Man who discovered Justin Bieber plans to focus on role as CEO of Hybe America

(Newser) - Scooter Braun, one of the most recognizable names in the music business, says he will no longer work as a music manager. Braun, known for representing artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, announced the news Monday on his Instagram page . The executive and entrepreneur instead will focus his attention...

Big-Time Hitmaker Accused of Raping His Protege

Lawsuit accuses 'Single Ladies' songwriter The-Dream of physical, psychological abuse

(Newser) - A music producer responsible for some of the biggest pop hits of the last two decades, including Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," has been hit with rape allegations. The-Dream, an eight-time Grammy winner who also worked on Justin Bieber'...

Rap Battle Song Hits No. 1, and 'It's a Bit Disconcerting'

Andre Gee of 'Rolling Stone' muses on lyrics in Lamar's diss track on Drake

(Newser) - Earlier this month, Andre Gee declared in Rolling Stone that Kendrick Lamar "won the great rap war " between himself and Drake, a long-running feud that has resulted in a recent slew of diss tracks—including Lamar's "Not Like Us," which ascended to the No. 1...

'Harvard Has Taylor, Vermont State Has Weird Al!'

University will offer a course on comedic singer Yankovic in the fall

(Newser) - If you've ever longed for a glimpse inside the imagination of Alfred Yankovic and you're a student at Vermont State University, your two worlds are about to collide. The higher-ed institution will be offering a course this fall dedicated to the quirky singer-songwriter known as "Weird Al,...

Joining the Retro Revival: Cassette Tapes

Sales are on the rise in Japan as well as in the US

(Newser) - Cassette tapes are starting to catch some of the retro, nostalgic shine of vinyl records, spurring one manufacturer in Japan to bring back personal Walkman-type players. Younger Japanese music lovers are driving this trend, Nikkei Asia writes, despite many being born well after tapes were eclipsed by CDs, and later...

F1 Racing's Powerful Draw: Big-Name Musicians

Entertainers have embraced the Formula One series

(Newser) - Beyond the engineering, the athleticism, the speed, the luxury—fans love the sound of Formula One. The fierce rhythms of a V6 turbocharged hybrid engine; the sticky staccato of a rushed downshift; sexy, loud zooms. There's a real musical appreciation for the elite motorsport, per the AP . Engines are...

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