It’s the weekly headline roundup!
This week we’re looking at AI Music, SOCAN Buying CMRRA, AI Music Labeling, GEMA beating Suno in court, Spotify’s earnings, and more!
AI Music: Coming of Age. Why the Next Music Revolution May Be Bigger Than Napster
AI music has entered a new phase. Major record companies that initially focused on litigation are now building licensed creation platforms, artist opt-in frameworks, and attribution systems. At the same time, studios, streamers, advertisers, and game companies are examining AI-assisted workflows that can produce more musical options, versions, and localized assets under tighter deadlines. The central question is no longer whether AI will be used in music. It’s who may use it, what it may be trained on, how artists and rights holders participate, and whether the resulting music can be trusted in a commercial production environment.
– Dr. Myles E. Mangram, Digital Music News
Canada’s SOCAN buys CMRRA from SoundExchange, meaning Canadian performing and mechanical rights will now be licensed through one organisation
Canadian songwriter collecting society SOCAN has acquired CMRRA, the Canadian mechanical rights organisation, which has been owned by US collecting society SoundExchange since 2017. It means most of the collective licensing of song rights in Canada – both performing rights and mechanical rights – will now sit within one organisation.
– Chris Cooke, Complete Music Update
That move, according to SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown, will “strengthen Canada’s music rights landscape and build a more seamless experience for music publishers and creators”. By bringing SOCAN and CMRRA together, she adds, “we have an opportunity to harness our respective strengths and support long-term growth”.
IFPI Backs Call for AI Music Labeling, Implements Immediate Change on Number of Key International Charts
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has backed calls for clearer labeling of music recordings developed by generative artificial intelligence on global music charts.
– Thomas Smith, Billboard
On Wednesday (July 29) a group of leading record labels including the big three majors (Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group) and a number of key indies called for transparent labeling and greater clarity on what generative AI tools were used to create music and their chart eligibility.
Songwriter AI victory in Europe as GEMA beats Suno in copyright lawsuit
German songwriter collecting society GEMA has scored a significant victory in its legal battle with music AI company Suno in the Munich Regional Court. This dispute is a key test case when it comes to the copyright obligations of AI companies under European law. GEMA’s initial win – announced this morning – has, unsurprisingly, been widely welcomed by the music industry.
– Chris Cooke, Complete Music Update
The German court considered three separate allegations that Suno infringed the rights in GEMA controlled songs and compositions, ultimately siding with the songwriter collecting society on all three claims.
Spotify hits 300m Premium subscribers in Q2, adding 7m, as streamer posts $762m operating profit
Spotify grew its global Premium Subscriber base to 300 million paying users in Q2 (the three months to the end of June).
– Murray Stassen, Music Business Worldwide
That’s according to the company’s latest financial results (for Q2 2026), published on Tuesday (August 4).
Spotify‘s Premium Subscriber base at the close of Q2 was up by +7 million net subs on the 293 million that the firm counted at the end of the prior quarter (Q1 2026).
This +7 million growth was ahead of guidance by 1 million.
Spotify reported that this Premium Subscriber performance reflected “Y/Y and Q/Q growth across all regions” plus “strong global promotional campaign intake”.
Suno Shares Plan to Limit AI Song Downloads, Details ‘Principles’: ‘AI Should Enable Originality, Not Imitation’
AI music company Suno, led by CEO Mikey Shulman, posted a set of principles on its website Thursday (Aug. 6). “We’ve always believed that how we build matters just as much as what we build,” wrote Shulman in a company blog post. The list of principles included the stated goals that “AI should enable originality, not imitation” and that “more people creating music should strengthen the ecosystem.” The post also reiterated the company’s plan to limit downloads of AI songs from its platform — something first promised during its settlement and licensing deal with Warner Music Group.
– Kristin Robinson, Billboard
The new post comes just a week after the AI music giant, recently valued at over $5.4 billion, lost a copyright infringement battle with German collection society GEMA. In the lawsuit, the society accused Suno of replicating songs from their members, including Lou Bega’s classic “Mambo No. 5.” A source notes that Suno’s announcement on Thursday was in motion prior to the ruling.