It’s the Weekly Headline Roundup!
This week we’re still enjoying our interviews with Shanieka Brooks and Jessica Vaughn, and we’re looking at streaming fraud guilty pleas, AI, the 2026 IFPI Global Report, the importance of education in music, Primary Wave acquiring Kobalt, The Supreme Court ruling against the majors, and more!
Ashley Friedman talks to Shanieka D. Brooks, Program Manager for the Sony Audio Institute for Music Business and Technology at NYU, about the equity we hope to see for working mothers in our industry, the need for students to advocate for themselves when entering the workplace, mental health and wellness, and much more. She also reflects on her years as an Academic Advisor at NYU and how rewarding it has been to see that impact through her former students’ careers today.
Ashley Friedman talks to Jessie Vaughn, President of Head Bitch Music, about how to succeed while blending business and art, wearing many different hats as both an executive and an artist, and the importance of breaking away from chasing the instant gratification that we’ve been conditioned to by the internet. We also discuss her ultimate role model, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Streaming fraud man who pocketed $8m using hundreds of thousands of AI songs streamed billions of times by bots pleads guilty
The man at the center of what’s been described as the first-ever criminal prosecution for AI-assisted streaming fraud in the United States has pleaded guilty.
– Murray Stassen, Music Business Worldwide
Michael Smith, of Cornelius, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today (March 19) to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl in the Southern District of New York.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Smith has also agreed to pay over $8 million in forfeiture.
Pros, Not Amateurs, Are Leading the AI Music Revolution: New Water & Music x Moises Study
The narrative surrounding AI in music is often dominated by fear of replacement and “shortcut” creativity. However, a landmark global study by research firm Water & Music and AI music platform Moises tells a somewhat different story.
– Bruce Houghton, Hypebot
Surveying over 1,500 musicians, the report reveals that the most serious creators aren’t just using AI—they are leading its adoption to enhance their professional growth and technical workflows.
IFPI Global Report 2026 Takeaways: Vinyl Growth Outpaces Digital, China Surges & More
Despite last year’s challenges in the music business — from generative AI songs breaking onto the charts to the growing issue of streaming fraud — overall recorded music revenues accelerated globally in 2025, marking the 11th straight year of growth, according to the IFPI’s latest figures. For the first time, global music revenue topped the $30 billion mark, with gains across every top region of the world, from the U.S. and Canada to Sub-Saharan Africa.
– Chris Eggersten, Billboard
Overall, the report showed that subscription streaming remained the biggest revenue driver in 2025, accounting for more than half of global revenue. The number of paid subscribers increased to 837 million, up from 752 million just one year prior.
While the U.S. remained the No. 1 music market worldwide, accounting for 38.7% of all revenue, its rate of growth (3.3%) paled in comparison to other top 10 markets like China, Mexico and Brazil, which saw double-digit gains. All of which shows just how truly global the music industry has become.
Jay Gilbert on ‘Choosing To Educate’
In today’s music business, “talent matters, hustle matters… (but) ignorance is expensive,” Your Morning Coffee’s Jay Gilbert shared in his inspirational keynote at the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association
– Jay Gilbert, Hypebot
It’s Official: Primary Wave Acquires Kobalt
Primary Wave said on Monday (March 23) it is acquiring Kobalt’s worldwide operations, its catalog of owned copyrights and digital collection company amra, according to a press release.
– Elizabeth Dilts Marshall, Ed Christman, Billboard
Terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close in the latter half of 2026, were not disclosed. Billboard reported in February Kobalt’s majority owners Francisco Partners and minority owners Dundee Partners, Kobalt co-founder and CEO Willard Ahdritz and MUSIC’s Matt Pincus were in talks to sell the company for a price sources said could top $1.5 billion.
Spotify launches SongDNA in beta for Premium subscribers, tracing how songs connect through shared producers, samples and covers
Spotify is rolling out ‘SongDNA’ — a tool that lets subscribers trace how one song connects to another through shared producers, samples and covers — to its Premium subscriber base after first previewing the feature in November.
– Mandy Dalugdug, Music Business Worldwide
SongDNA will arrive in beta to Premium users globally on iOS and Android starting Tuesday (March 24). Spotify says it will be available to all Premium users throughout April.
The feature first surfaced alongside a companion feature, ‘About the Song’, in November. At the time, the company said it will enable fans to “dive into the influences behind the music they love, while giving sampled and covered artists fresh ways to get discovered and celebrated.”
US Supreme Court sides with Cox Communications in landmark music piracy case brought by record labels
The US Supreme Court has ruled that internet service provider Cox Communications cannot be held responsible for music piracy committed by its subscribers, ending a landmark copyright case in which the major record companies had won a $1 billion jury verdict.
– Murray Stassen, Music Business Worldwide
The unanimous decision was handed down today (March 25).
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the Court, said that Cox “neither induced its users’ infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement.”