Data

Spotify’s new SongDNA feature maps how your favorite songs are connected

Now available to Premium subscribers on iOS and Android, the feature provides an interactive experience that lets users trace other components of a song beyond the singer, songwriter, or musician. With SongDNA, listeners could explore other connections, like who may have covered that song, plus other information like samples, interpolations, or what other projects the song’s collaborators have also been involved in.

Source: Spotify’s new SongDNA feature maps how your favorite songs are connected

SunoCharts shows how AI music’s trending creators and breakout genres could be tracked

The recently-launched SunoCharts website carries the tagline ‘the analytics layer for AI music’. The twist is that none of the trending tracks or artists included in those analytics are real. That’s not us making a snarky jab at those creators. They’re literally not real, as the site’s creator Kieron Donoghue explains. “SunoCharts is a site built on dummy data that shows what could be possible if Suno released an API. It does not use any live data, it’s purely a demo,” he says.

Source: SunoCharts shows how AI music’s trending creators and breakout genres could be tracked

Global recorded music revenues hit $31.7B in 2025, up 6.4% YoY

Figures released today (March 18) in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2026 show that global recorded music revenues grew by 6.4% YoY in 2025 – an improvement on the 4.7% rate of growth posted in 2024 — marking the global industry’s eleventh consecutive year of growth. Paid subscription streaming revenues increased 8.8% YoY and accounted for more than half — 52.4% — of global revenues. IFPI reports that there are now 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts globally.

Source: Global recorded music revenues hit $31.7B in 2025, up 6.4% YoY

UK government weighs copyright ‘commercial research exception’ for AI Use

According to a report in The Times on Friday (March 6), a “commercial research exception” is one of a number of proposals officials are preparing ahead of a parliamentary statement on copyright reform, due on March 18. Under the proposal, AI developers would be free to use copyrighted material for training purposes without obtaining permission, but would need to secure licences from rights holders before bringing any resulting products to market.

Source: UK government weighs copyright ‘commercial research exception’ for AI Use

How Big AI Developers are Skirting a Mandate for Training Data Transparency

Despite a legal obligation to publish a summary in line with the template provided by the European Commission’s AI Office, the likes of OpenAI, Google, and xAI have failed to do so. As Zuzanna Warso and Paul Keller from Open Future have noted, some companies have published a paragraph or two about training data along with other model documentation. It is not even close to what they are legally mandated to publish

Source: How Big AI Developers are Skirting a Mandate for Training Data Transparency

High-res music service Qobuz joins France’s Deezer in flagging AI-generated tracks

Qobuz said in a recent blog post that it will start tagging these tracks “to protect artists and listeners from AI-generated content.” The French company follows Deezer, another France-based streaming platform, which has already made AI labels publicly visible to users. Last year, Deezer filed two patents for an AI detection tool, which it said can discover “fully AI-generated tracks.” Deezer has since published periodic updates on how many tracks the tool has flagged.

Source: High-res music service Qobuz joins France’s Deezer in flagging AI-generated tracks

These Tools Say They Can Spot A.I. Fakes. Do They Really Work?

More than a dozen online tools claim they can tell the difference between what’s real and what’s A.I. by looking for hidden watermarks, composition errors and other digital clues. The reality is more mixed, according to a battery of tests conducted by The New York Times. While many tools did a good job detecting some A.I. content, they were not accurate enough to offer users complete confidence.

Source: These Tools Say They Can Spot A.I. Fakes. Do They Really Work?

Microsoft, Amazon Plan AI Content Marketplaces

Amazon joins Microsoft, which recently launched Publisher Content Marketplace, in developing platforms to allow publishers to license content and be paid-per-use, rather than by offering an blanket, up-front fee. The two tech giants are not operating in a vacuum, as a variety of companies have been racing to establish their their own licensing platforms.

Source: Microsoft, Amazon Plan AI Content Marketplaces

CLEAR Act Would Create Notice Requirements for Copyrighted Works in AI Training Data

If enacted as drafted, the bill would establish mandatory reporting requirements for companies developing artificial intelligence (AI) models that are trained using original works that are protected under U.S. copyright law, and would create an additional cause of action for copyright owners alleging that generative AI developers failed to give such notice with respect to their works.

Source: CLEAR Act Would Establish Notice Requirements for Copyrighted Works in AI Training Data

Spotify hits a record 751M monthly users thanks to Wrapped, new free features 

Swedish music streaming giant Spotify saw its user numbers peak last quarter, driven by its year-end “Wrapped” campaign, which rounds up stats and listening highlights for users and new features on its free tier. Spotify said the “Wrapped” campaign resulted in more than 300 million engaged users and 630 million shares on social media in 56 languages.

Source: Spotify hits a record 751M monthly users thanks to Wrapped, new free features | TechCrunch

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