On Patreon, podcasts have become the largest content category in terms of revenue and they’ve continued their upward trajectory, says chief operating officer Paige Fitzgerald. “Podcasts are a resonant medium,” she says. “They work well for multihyphenate creators who want to leverage several types of media formats to connect with their fans.”
Source: Patreon Says Podcasters Earned $629 Million in 2025, Platform’s Biggest Content Category
And, as with previous introductions of new technology into Hollywood, from digital film to email, AI is percolating from the bottom up, starting with the assistant class — on track to become industry standard as today’s underlings (those that survive the continual layoffs, that is) rise to positions of power. Confronted with larger workloads and a shrinking headcount, AI — both the kind officially approved by companies and more surreptitious uses — has made its way via support staff into essential Hollywood workflows.
Source: Hollywood Assistants Are Using AI Despite Their Better Judgment
The statement, published on Thursday (April 2), came one day after WMG announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the independent music platform, which specializes in digital music distribution, rights management, royalty accounting, and real-time analytics. IMPALA acknowledged that the deal reflects well on the independent sector’s capacity for innovation, but argued that it continues a pattern in which independent infrastructure is absorbed by major label groups
Source: IMPALA says WMG’s Revelator acquisition is ‘bad news for artists, fans, and Europe’s diversity’
Voice AI company ElevenLabs has quietly released an iOS app called ElevenMusic that can be used to create music with AI and discover AI-generated music. The new app, which was listed on the App Store for a few weeks and finally released on April 1, suggests ElevenLabs wants to be more than just a voice model company. The company sees tools that use AI to create music and other mediums as a way to grow and protect itself from the eventual commoditization of AI audio models.
Source: ElevenLabs releases a new AI-powered music-generation app
The early 2020s marked the apex of a production boom known as “peak TV,” during which streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max tried to add subscribers as fast as possible. By the time strikes by actors and writers ended in 2023, Wall Street was demanding that streaming services give priority to profits over growth. The easiest way to get into the black was to cut production spending.
Sora’s demise points to more than the collapse of a big-media financial deal. It’s yet another indication that the allure of AI-created content for paying customers has been vastly overestimated. So too have been the ostensible efficiencies that AI brings to businesses. For example, Walmart has reportedly found that conversion rates — the percentage of consumers who complete an online transaction after an online search — are appreciably lower for consumers who attempt to complete the purchase through ChatGPT.
Source: Commentary: The Disney/Sora fiasco shows the limits of the AI craze
An editor at one of the “big five” publishing houses said a “cold shiver went down my spine” when the Shy Girl story broke. “It really is a case of ‘there but for the grace of God go I,’” they said. “It’s an issue publishers are keenly aware of. We make it very clear to authors what we expect, we get them to sign contracts and we run their work through multiple AI detection tools, but we know all this is fallible. “Hence the cold shiver: if an author is determined to use AI, then cover their tracks, there’s very little we can do.”
Source: ‘Soon publishers won’t stand a chance’: literary world in struggle to detect AI-written books
One week after Hachette Book Group pulled Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl for strong suspicions of AI use, the industry is reeling—and struggling to contend with the implications of the novel’s cancelation. In a statement about the book’s cancelation, Hachette cited its commitment to protecting “original creative expression and storytelling.” But book industry researcher Rachel Noorda argued that Hachette’s actions reflected market demands more than anything.
Source: As AI Discourse Rages, Publishing Has More Questions Than Answers
Global streaming subscription revenue surpassed $150 billion for the first time in 2025, according to a new survey from Ampere Analysis, which highlighted that as “a major milestone” for the subscription market. And streaming subscription revenue will hit $202 billion by 2030, up 29 percent, “as streamers shift focus from subscriber growth to price increases and ad-supported tiers.”
Source: Global Streaming Subscription Revenue Tripled In Five Years, Poised to Top $200 Billion by 2030
The conversations around the usage of AI in music can get quite nebulous without proper framing. On one hand, Suno’s current role, according to CEO Mikey Shulman, is that it’s the Ozempic of the music industry: everyone is on it, but no one is telling you. With 2 million paid subscribers and $300 million in annual recurring revenue, the sizable base is there. The question now is what the ceiling looks like. The belief that “most of the music on Suno is bad,” is also accurate. But most songs on Spotify are not good.