Charlie Lexton appointed CEO, Merlin 13 Nov 2025
Merlin recently published its accounts for 2024 announcing revenue at a record high of $1.64bn and its administration fee at a record low 1%.
NEWS & PRESS
PRS for Music strengthens commitment to member service excellence with appointment of Chief Membership Officer
PRS for Music is pleased to announce that Sally Weir has been appointed Chief Membership Officer. Sally will join the UK's largest collecting society which represents more than 180,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in January 2026. Sally brings a wealth of...more
BBC Radio 2 listeners to vote for 'Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song'
This morning, Scott Mills announced on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show that voting has opened for Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song, an online vote to discover Radio 2's listeners' favourite Stevie Wonder song. The results will be revealed in a special countdown show...more
SXSW London announces first speakers for 2026 festival, including experts and change makers in business, technology and culture
With tickets now on sale and new programming tracks confirmed, SXSW London reveals the first speakers for its highly-anticipated second edition to take place in Shoreditch from 1-6 June 2026. The first group of speakers reflects the dynamic convergence of business, technology and culture that sets SXSW...more
All Things Considered Group confirms move to the Alternative Investment Market and raises £8.6m to accelerate further expansion
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED GROUP ("ATC") CONFIRMS MOVE TO THE ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT MARKET ("AIM") AND RAISES £8.6M TO ACCELERATE FURTHER EXPANSION The new funding will accelerate ATC's momentum in building data-led 'direct to fan' services, alongside the growth of key business operations James...more
AEG Presents UK Unveils British Airways ARC at Olympia, London Booking diary open now for 2026 launch
Booking diary open now for 2026 launch AEG Presents UK, a division of AEG’s global sports, entertainment and venue operator business announced today the official opening of the booking diary and the name of their newest venue. The 3,800-capacity state-of-the-art, purpose-built live...more
Beyond Streaming: FreshTunes Gets Music to the Creator Economy with New Network Expansion
Expansion includes Canva, Snap, Soundtrack Your Brand, and others FreshTunes, the leading freemium artist services company, has concluded several key technical integrations to provide music to services and platforms entwined with the creator economy. This expansion demonstrates FreshTunes’ commitment to take...more
Impala responds to news that the EC will issue a formal objection to UMG’s proposed Downtown acquisition
Today, IMPALA, representing over 6,000 members in the European independent music sector across 33 countries, issued this short statement below in response to the news that the European Commission will proceed to the next step in its investigation of UMG's...more
Stranger Than Kindness: The Virtual Nick Cave Exhibition Opens Online
www.thenickcaveexhibition.com “an extraordinary exhibition” Gaffa (DK) “a moving visualization of inspiration and love” Dagbladet Information (DK) In 2020, The Royal Danish Library presented the critically acclaimed Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition - an unprecedented look into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon...more
Karma Artists and Payday Publishing Announce Global Publishing Agreement for Artist & Producer Benji
Karma Artists and Payday Music Publishing, the London based artist management company and the global independent publisher, have announced the signing of a publishing agreement for songwriter and producer, Benji. 23-year-old Benji is an artist, DJ, producer, and songwriter specializing in...more
Costs rise; venues fall: Late-Night economy declines 28% since 2020 as industry calls for urgent action
Late-night venues down 4.6% in a year and 28.0% since COVIDEvening economy overtakes late-night to highlight urgency of Budget help Britain’s late-night economy has suffered a 4.6% contraction in just 12 months, with bars, clubs and casinos under pressure from soaring costs, safety...more
Warner Music Group and Stability AI join forces to build the next generation of responsible AI tools for music creation
Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG) and Stability AI today announced a collaborative effort to advance the use of responsible AI in music creation, combining WMG’s long-standing advocacy for principled innovation with Stability AI’s expertise and leadership in commercially-safe generative audio. The initiative...more
Leading independent D2C retailer and distributor Townsend announces appointment of renowned executive Mike Walsh
Townsend—the UK-based global direct-to-consumer e-commerce music retailer and distributor—has today announced the appointment of music business executive Mike Walsh as D2C Sales and Product Consultant. This is a milestone in the company's growth plans following its acquisition by Artone in...more
The Circuit Group Partners with Create Music Group to Launch Nine-Figure Music Investment Fund
The Circuit Group, a powerhouse collective of world-class artist managers turning creative vision into global ventures for iconic artists, today announced the launch of Circuit Capital, backed by Create Music Group which is providing access to more than $500 Million...more
beatBread Appoints Tracy Maddux as Interim CEO
Former CD Baby and Downtown Music Executive to Lead Next Phase of Growth for Artist-First Fintech Platform beatBread, a leader in funding for independent labels and musicians, today announced that music industry veteran Tracy Maddux has been appointed Interim Chief Executive...more
Rap duo GeeOne and Zachariyah SOL win Royal Albert Hall’s Future Makers 2025 Competition
The grime artists will receive support from the Hall over the coming 12 months Grime artists GeeOne and Zachariyah SOL have been named the winners of Future Makers 2025 by music industry judges, after performing in the Royal Albert Hall’s 154-year-old auditorium. Hailing from Lewisham in Southeast London, the duo,...more
Nordoff and Robbins announce 50th Anniversary
O2 SILVER CLEF AWARDS IS TO BE HELD AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL ON THURSDAY 9 JULY, 2026 NORDOFF AND ROBBINS ANNOUNCED AS ROYAL ALBERT HALL’S OFFICIAL CHARITY PARTNER FOR 2026 O2 RETURN AS HEADLINE SPONSOR, CELEBRATING THEIR 25th CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF...more
Limitless Live returns in 2026 for the fifth year
LIMITLESS LIVE RETURNS IN 2026 FOR THE FIFTH YEAR AT LONDON’S ROUNDHOUSE ON MAY 3RD GRAMMY NOMINATED GROUP FLO ANNOUNCED AS HEADLINER ALL TICKETS FREE OF CHARGE Limitless Live, the UK’s largest free live music show with social purpose at its core, today announces its...more
Government bans ticket touting to protect fans from rip-off prices
New rules to make it illegal to resell tickets for live events above original cost Resale tickets to be £37 cheaper on average, saving fans collectively £112 million per year Measures will end business model of industrial-scale ticket touting Music and sport fans...more
Dune Make Two Key Appointments to Senior Leadership Team
Dune Strengthens Leadership Team with Two Senior Appointments Thom Brunner Named Chief Operating Officer and Max Crowther Appointed Head of Artist Services Dune, the pioneering new music platform, which launched earlier this month and aims to create important new revenue streams for...more
Manchester born Matthew Williamson revealed as 2026 BRIT Award trophy designer
MANCHESTER-INSPIRED TROPHY PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE CITY'S WORKER BEE EMBLEM CEREMONY TAKES PLACE AT THE CO-OP LIVE ON SATURDAY 28TH FEBRUARY The BRIT Awards with Mastercard today announces that internationally acclaimed British designer Matthew Williamson is the creative force behind the 2026 trophy. Inspired by...more
EVEN and Symphonic Distribution Target Superfans with 'Sell-Before-Streaming' Storefronts for Independent Artists Worldwide
EVEN, the direct-to-fan platform serving artists globally in over 100 countries, today announced a new partnership with Symphonic Distribution, a leading music technology and services company for independent labels, managers, and artists. The deal will bring an instant, sell-before-streaming storefront to...more
Dynamite Songs Continues Its Expansion With New Acquisitions From Global Hitmakers TIEKS, Eric Turner, And John "$K" McGee
Latest investments include multi-platinum and chart-topping hits from Avicii, Tinie Tempah, and Trey Songz, as well as EDM anthem 'Sunshine' Dynamite Songs ('Dynamite' or the 'Company'), the specialist music publisher dedicated to acquiring and managing smaller catalogues with culturally significant songs, has acquired...more
Viagogo statement on ticket resale
We acknowledge the government’s announcement today which is part of a long, multi-year process, not a final outcome. Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans, in countries like Ireland and Australia fraud rates are nearly four times higher than...more
The Other Songs & The Orchard Appointed to Handle Management and Distribution of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Recording Catalogue
LW Entertainment confirms the appointment of the independent record label, The Other Songs, to manage Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music catalogue, one of the most enduring and popular in the world. The Other Songs will manage both back catalogue and new...more
Electric Group announces launch of 'Electric Studios' Sheffield music venue and creative hub
A £2m venue transformation continues, with opening slated for Spring 2026. The music-first venue will host increased capacity and accessibility within its all-new interior. A packed schedule and subsidised creative hub are set to boost the cultural power of Sheffield, enhanced with...more
The annual BPI Classical Committee/PPL Quiz raises £7,000 in aid of Help Musicians and The BRIT Trust
11th edition of the Quiz won by Mark Pemberton & team, ahead of Naxos AudioBooks, and Presto The annual BPI Classical Committee/PPL Charity Quiz has raised around £7,000 – a record total for the event – for its music charity beneficiaries, which this year...more
BBC Radio 6 Music's Albums of the Year 2025
Today, BBC Radio 6 Music, the UK's biggest digital-only radio station with 2.7 million listeners (RAJAR, Q3 2025), revealed its Albums of the Year 2025. The albums will all be celebrated over the coming five weeks, within Albums of the Year...more
Nacho García Vega, President of IAO, shares an open letter
Nacho García Vega, President of IAO, shared an open letter with Commissioner Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, with a final plea to the EC to block the acquisition of Downtown by Universal Music Group14 November 2025 Dear Commissioner Dombrovskis, Thank...more
Emma Banks, Ramones producer Craig Leon and Sziget’s Tamás Kádár speaking at ESNS Conference
Topics include activism on stage, corporatization of the music sector, music export and exchange ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) announces a new wave of conference highlights for its 40th edition, taking place from January 14 to 17, 2026 in Groningen. None other than...more
Amazon Music and TikTok Launch New 'Share to TikTok' Feature
Music fans can now share their favourite tracks and Insights on Amazon Music directly to TikTok Fans can even share exclusive Amazon Music Original tracks to TikTok, including a new track from Amazon Music Breakthrough artist, Carter Faith, and Shaboozey Amazon Music...more
THE HEADLINES
Universal's bid for Downtown is set to be hit by a formal warning from European Union watchdogs (see Business)
Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown (see News)
Some answers to Haven's 'I Run' chart-excluded track (see News)
"Without competition, the free market becomes a monopoly" (see Opinion)
What are pop-up shows teaching us about building fandom in 2025? (see Analysis)
How much AI will audiences accept in music and movies? (see Analysis)
Stars urge Kier Starmer to tackle ‘pernicious’ ticket tout websites (see News)
Report reveals UK music industry contributes record £8bn to UK economy. (see Reports)
Deezer publishes survey on AI music (see Reports)
Songs are going viral faster than ever — but fewer are becoming streaming hits (see Analysis)
The music we should save is the music AI needs the most (see Comment)
The Council Of Music Makers: Put music-makers first in AI deals (see News)
The future of music marketing is no marketing at all (see Features)