Welcome to our Weekly Headline Roundup!
This week, Ashley interviewed Lisa Ann Walter(!), Zach discusses the cost of unpaid internships in music, and we’re looking at AI music licensing, virality and social media, and direct deals.
How Much Does An Unpaid Internship Cost Students? $15,000 and Counting
Let’s cut to the chase, no sugarcoating – there should be no such thing as an unpaid internship in the music industry. A college student taking an unpaid internship currently faces an opportunity cost upwards of $15,000. The worst part is the cost to the host company and the University: $0.
– Zachary Gulino
Lisa Ann Walter Talks Abbott Elementary Season 4 & Behind-the-Scenes Secrets – Interview by Ashley Friedman
What Would An AI Music License Even Look Like? It’s Complicated
As courts rule on whether tech companies need to license works to train their AI algorithms, rightsholders are starting to think about how those deals might work.
– Robert Levine, Billboard
Streaming Superfan Products Have Been Discussed for Years. So Where Are They?
More than halfway through 2025, Spotify and other Western music streaming platforms have yet to launch a much-anticipated “superfan” or “super-premium” tier, prompting questions about the delays and speculation about what features will be bundled together in a higher-priced offering.
– Glenn Peoples, Billboard
All eyes, no ears: New MIDiA data shows why virality is not building fandom
For all their reach, social clips do not translate casual exposure into streams or meaningful fandom as often as the industry may hope. In fact, evidence suggests that social video is beginning to displace some listening on streaming platforms, rather than fueling it.
– Tatiana Cirisano, MIDiA
Labels settle copyright lawsuit against Internet Archive over streaming of vintage vinyl records
Major record labels including Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment have reached a confidential settlement with the nonprofit Internet Archive, ending a two-year legal battle over its digitization and streaming of vintage vinyl recordings.
– Mandy Dalugdug, Music Business Worldwide
TikTok Drives Views, Not Fans — YouTube and Streaming Still Dominate Music Discovery
Anew study by MIDiA Research concludes that the link between social media virality and a rise in streams or fandom is more tenuous than some might believe. In a global survey of music discovery habits involving 10,000 participants across various platforms, MIDiA’s latest report — released Tuesday (Sept. 16) — found that “social media is just one part of a wide and diverse discovery ecosystem” and that the landscape of music discovery on social platforms is fragmented. Discovery is not all coming from TikTok.
– Kristin Robinson, Billboard
Social is the medium, but its messages are more than just content
All things, it seems, must now revert to “social”.
– Hanna Kahlert, MIDiA
Netflix has announced a new “Clips” feature, where segments of episodes can be selected and shared on social media (per Engadget). Spotify has added a social feature allowing users to directly message songs to each other. Even OpenAI has flirted with the idea of a social platform.
The trend, however, goes far deeper – and is a much bigger dynamic shift.
Sony Music Group and Spotify Announce New Deals, With Direct Licensing for Publishing
Sony Music Group and Spotify have announced an extension and expansion of their global partnership that includes a new direct licensing arrangement for publishing in the U.S.
– Jem Aswad, Variety
This move is notably significant because Sony — the world’s largest publishing company — was the last major publisher to remain under the statutory rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board