Amazon Music announced a new beta feature called “Fan Groups” that enables users to build their own communities for sharing information and opinions about their favorite music genres and artists. The feature, testing now in Canada on iOS and Android, encourages music fans to listen to songs shared within the groups and interact via chat threads and user posts, while driving new music discovery in the process. Artists will also have the ability to join groups, providing an opportunity to share exclusive content and interact directly with their fans. “The new destination transforms music listening into an interactive community for fans without having to leave the app,” explains Amazon. Continue reading Amazon Music Touts Community with ‘Fan Groups’ Beta Test

Amazon Ads and iHeartMedia are expanding their partnership with a new programmatic audio offering that lets Amazon DSP advertisers access iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio. Advertisers using Amazon DSP can now extend their omnichannel campaigns across iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio to connect with listeners across devices like smartphones, smart speakers, tablets, game consoles and more. Access to iHeartPodcasts and broadcast radio stations will follow in 2026. The deal “brings Amazon’s trillions of shopping, streaming, and browsing signals together with iHeart’s millions of listeners across streaming audio for meaningful reach at scale,” Amazon says. Continue reading Amazon, iHeartMedia Target Programmatic Audio Streaming

Spotify passed 700 million monthly active users in Q3, with subscribers hitting 281 million, a 12 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Total revenue was $4.9 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year, while net income surged 200 percent to $1 billion, attributed to price hikes, subscriber growth and strict cost management. The Swedish company surpassed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue from premium subscriptions grew 9 percent in Q3. Advertising revenue for the period was down 6 percent, however, to about $515 million. Spotify recently integrated with ChatGPT so that users can get podcast and music recommendations from the popular chatbot. Continue reading Spotify’s Profits Surge 200 Percent for Q3, Topping $1 Billion

Amazon’s generative AI voice assistant Alexa+ is coming to the Amazon Music mobile app for iOS and Android for customers across all subscription tiers in Alexa+ Early Access. Alexa+ was announced in February at Amazon’s Devices & Services event, and began rolling out in early access in the spring. It is reported to now have more than a million users. Customers were able to get early access by registering for it on the Amazon website or purchasing a compatible product. Adding generative AI to Amazon Music is seen as a competitive move following Spotify’s October integration with OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT. Continue reading Alexa+ for iOS and Android Now Available for Amazon Music

Three major North American music performing rights organizations, or PROs, have decided to allow registration of musical compositions that are “partially generated using artificial intelligence tools.” ASCAP, BMI and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) have agreed to accept direct registration within their individual societies. For registration purposes, all three PROs define a partially AI-generated musical work as “one that combines elements of AI-generated musical content with elements of human authorship.” Musical compositions that are entirely created using AI continue to be ineligible for registration in these groups. Continue reading Music Groups Will Register Music ‘Partially’ Generated by AI

Spotify has added a feature that lets users follow their favorite venues to stay current on upcoming performances. In March the music streamer created a Concerts Near You playlist option, updated weekly, that helps fans discover when their favorite artists are touring nearby. Now, Spotify says its redesigned Live Events feed, updated daily, is available to both Free and Premium subscribers directly in-app, letting users view venue and scheduled concert details right from their libraries. Spotify is also recommending other smaller venues fans may enjoy based on their tastes. “Great live music isn’t just about the artist you see — it’s also about where you see them,” Spotify believes. Continue reading Spotify Updates Live Events Feed, Lets Fans Follow Venues

Netflix will present video podcasts by The Ringer as part of a partnership with Spotify. Content including “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the movie fan show “The Rewatchables” and true crimecast “Conspiracy Theories” will be part of the lineup, along with The Ringer’s NFL, NBA, Fantasy Football, and F1 auto racing series, joining the Netflix schedule beginning in early 2026. Spotify Head of Podcasts Roman Wasenmüller calls the streaming partnership “a new chapter for podcasting” that will expand discovery, helping creators reach new audiences through Netflix’s global reach. Continue reading Spotify’s Ringer Video Podcasts Will Stream on Netflix in 2026

Word out of OpenAI’s first DevDay event in almost two years is that the company wants to make its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT more like an “operating system.” A demo by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman showed apps including Spotify, Canva, Figma and Zillow responding to typed commands inside a chat. The company also released a new Apps SDK in preview so developers can start building for the ChatGPT platform. “Building with the Apps SDK makes it possible to reach over 800 million ChatGPT users at just the right time,” according to OpenAI. Other pilot partners include Booking.com, Coursera and Expedia. Continue reading OpenAI Debuts Features That Make ChatGPT More Like an OS

YouTube is introducing YouTube Labs, an experimental hub where users can test the company’s latest artificial intelligence tools and prototypes, starting with AI hosts for YouTube Music. “As you listen to radio and mixes, AI hosts will chime in with relevant stories and insights,” YouTube explains. A brand-specific version of its parent company’s Google Labs, YouTube Labs is positioned as the place “to discover the next generation of YouTube,” and the streaming video giant says that like its predecessor, “feedback and interactions may be used to improve Google products and services.” Continue reading YouTube Labs Invites Users to Test Experimental AI Features

Artificial intelligence has proven to be a creative enabler, though also a headache when it comes to protecting intellectual property rights. And for some, like Spotify, it is both. Even as the platform takes pains to accommodate AI-powered bands like The Velvet Sundown it is simultaneously “waging war” against content-farmed AI tunes. In the past 12 months Spotify says it has removed over 75 million spammy tracks. Now it is rolling out an even more robust spam filtering system while stepping up enforcement of impersonations and mandating AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits. Continue reading Spotify Is Allowing for Creative AI Use While Filtering Out Slop

Amazon Music has a new AI-powered personalization feature called Weekly Vibe that is designed to keep playlists fresh and prevent listeners from tiring of the same songs. The feature is available to iOS and Android users in the U.S. across all subscription tiers. Every Monday, Weekly Vibe will update playlists to reflect recent listening choices, taking into account musical interests and moods. It will also suggest new music based on demonstrated patterns and preferences. Weekly Vibe builds on the Maestro AI playlist generator Amazon Music launched in beta last year. Continue reading Amazon Music Adds Weekly Vibe AI Playlists Across All Tiers

Four years after its announcement, Spotify Lossless is arriving for Premium subscribers, offering HD-quality sound for just about every song in the catalog. The reveal was issued by Spotify VP of Subscriptions Gustav Gyllenhammar, who attributed the delay to “time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality” and ease of use. Spotify Lossless enables streaming in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC. Lossless joins the previous settings of Low, Normal, High and Very High for data management across Wi-Fi, cellular and downloads. Spotify has also added Smart Filters for better playlist building. Continue reading Spotify Delivers New Lossless Audio Tech for Premium Subs

Apple has partnered with live audio provider TuneIn in a deal aimed at expanding global access to Apple Music’s six commercial-free live radio stations. The agreement marks the first time Apple’s 24/7 radio stations are available outside of the company’s own ecosystem. The move aims to boost Apple Music’s market share, closing the gap with Spotify by tapping TuneIn’s 75 million monthly active users, connected through more than 200 device partnerships spanning smart speakers, headphones and more than 15 auto brands. MIDiA Research says Apple Music and Spotify had user parity in 2020, with Apple subsequently losing ground. Continue reading Apple Music Chases Spotify with TuneIn Streaming Radio Deal

Instagram has started to let creators link multiple Reels, effectively creating their own “series.” The new capability, which TikTok already offers, makes it more convenient for viewers to discover and follow related content. The new “Link a Reel” feature lets creators sequentially either link generally related content or connect specific, sequentially related material, as in Part 2, Part 3, etc. Meta Platforms has also added a free AI-powered voice translation feature. Now available globally on Facebook and Instagram, it automatically dubs and lip syncs Reels into other languages using the sound and tone of the creator’s own voice. Continue reading Meta Updates Features for Reels on Facebook and Instagram

ByteDance-owned TikTok is officially launching its TikTok for Artists music insights tool two months after reports surfaced that the service was testing the resource in select countries. Billed as an “all-in-one” analytics platform, the company says TikTok for Artists provides detailed data about the performance of an artist’s music and posts on TikTok, as well as insights into how the community is engaging with the performer’s content. In addition to providing actionable marketing support, the tool is designed to help artists boost fan engagement and inform content creation. TikTok is also launching a new Pre-Release tool designed to help artists promote upcoming material. Continue reading TikTok for Artists: New Analytics Platform Gets Official Launch