Welcome to our Weekly Headline Roundup!
For the top of October, we’re covering ticketing drama, new CEO appointments, Taylor Swift breaks another record, music revenues, AI, and more!
Live Nation’s CEO Says Concert Tickets Are ‘Underpriced.’ His Comments Are Nothing New
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino sparked a furor among concert fans last week when he told a CNBC host that concert tickets were underpriced — a sentiment that drew swift condemnation from both casual listeners and dedicated fans frustrated by the cost of seeing live music. While Rapino’s comments caught many off guard, they echoed a line of thinking at the company that predates the pandemic and has only grown louder in recent years.
– Dave Brooks, Billboard
A2IM Selects New CEO as Richard James Burgess Steps Down After a Decade
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that Ian Harrison, executive vp at Hopeless Records, will become the organization’s next CEO as of Oct. 1. Harrison — who has spent more than 20 years at Hopeless — takes over for Richard James Burgess, who is stepping down at the end of this year after a 10-year period as A2IM CEO.
– Dan Rys, Billboard
Don’t say gruesome twosome: Ek steps sideways at Spotify to make way for not one but two new CEOs
Spotify founder Daniel Ek has announced he is stepping down as the company’s CEO, taking on the title of Executive Chairman instead, with current co-Presidents – Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström – becoming co-CEOs of the business.
– Chris Cooke, Complete Music Update
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is already a record breaker, as album becomes first to surpass 5m pre-saves on Spotify
Taylor Swift’s upcoming record, The Life of a Showgirl, has become the first album to exceed 5 million pre-saves on Spotify’s Countdown Page feature, breaking the previous record held by her own album, The Tortured Poets Department, from last year.
– Mandy Dalugdug, Music Business Worldwide
More Than 75 Chicago Musicians Remove Their Music from Spotify—Twin Peaks, The Curls, AVANTIST, & More
A growing group of independent musicians in Chicago is removing their music from Spotify—following other artists who have pulled out…The cited reasons include Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s deep ties and investment into the AI military tech company Helsing; Spotify’s unfair and inadequate compensation model for independent artists and its consistent devaluing of music work; the proliferation and promotion of unlabeled AI music across Spotify’s platform; and Spotify’s extensive surveillance and behavioral nudging of its users towards passive listening.
– Ashley King, Digital Music News
Global recorded music revenues up 5.9% in H1 2025
Global recorded music revenues, inclusive of expanded rights, grew to $18.3 billion in the first half of 2025, with streaming continuing to increase its share of revenues. While this was an impressive mid-year milestone, market growth is slowing, with H1 2025’s 5.9% growth slower than in the first halves of both 2023 and 2024.
– Mark Mulligan, MIDiA Research
As FT says major labels are close to “landmark” AI licensing deals, is a new battle royale going to kick off within the music industry?
Universal Music and Warner Music are close to agreeing “landmark” AI licensing deals, according to the FT, whose sources say deal making is underway with ElevenLabs, Stability AI and Klay Vision, as well as Suno and Udio, which are each concurrently fighting legal battles with the majors.
– Chris Cooke, Complete Music Update
The record companies are also in ongoing talks about AI-specific deals with existing licensing partners like Spotify and Alphabet, which owns YouTube and Google and is developing a range of generative AI products and services.
SGAE and KODA/IFPI Denmark new reports confirm risks to rights holders’ income due to AI’s impact on musical creation
Two recent studies commissioned by rights ognisations — Spain’s SGAE and Denmark’s KODA (in partnership with IFPI Denmark) — have reached similar conclusions: creators and their societies face significant potential losses as AI-generated content proliferates on music streaming services. Both rights societies call on policy-makers to adopt regulatory mechanisms to safeguard human creation versus content fully generated by AI.
– Emmanuel Legrand, Creative Industries News