Christmas break 2025 - News 02 Jan 2026
News from the break will appeared here from 20 December to 4 January.
Most stories have now been moved to the 5 January daily email.
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NEWS
Kylie Minogue scooped the festive No1 single, beating Wham! to the top spot. (Mail, Sun)
The vibrant pulse of Britain's live music sector is under threat, with grassroots venues struggling to survive amidst rising costs and government inaction. (Express)
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DIGITAL
Sound Stock has entered the market with what it calls the world’s largest AI-cultivated royalty-free audio library, housing more than 10 million original assets. (DMN)
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COMMENT, ANALYSIS & REPORTS
Research shows that Wizzard top the “Christmas reliance” chart with 97% of their Spotify streams coming from holiday music. (Guardian)
Demand for CD and MP3 players is up 44 per cent since July compared with the January to June average. (Times)
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MEDIA
Podcast
Your Morning Coffee - with guest Will Page discussing his report Global Value of Music Copyright Hits New All-Time High.
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FEATURES
How Yungblud became Britain’s biggest rock star. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)
The real David Bowie — by eight insiders who knew him best. (SundayTimes - Will Hodgkinson)
Self Esteem’s guide to writing a pop song. (Times)
Our 2026 listening resolutions: critics try to get into music they’ve never liked. (Guardian)
The high-octane, low-culture genius of indie duo Getdown Services. (Guardian - Kate Hutchinson)
In 2025, rock was still hanging in. As artificial intelligence infiltrates music, the genre’s handmade imperfections are more crucial than ever. (NYTimes)
With the help of crowdfunding, a community-led trust is buying up venues, to keep live music going (Times - James Hurley)
Pollstar asks several top executives to get their take on 2025.
The best albums of 2025 (Observer)
On my radar: Femi Koleoso, Ezra Collective (Observer)
Q&A: Jason Williamson, Sleaford Mods (Observer)
My year of gigs with my daughter. (Observer - Miranda Sawyer)
Streamers are accused of making megastars rich at everyone else’s expense. Now the staunchly independent Los Campesinos! are laying out exactly what they earn. (Times - Roisin Kelly)
Behind the Korean film crisis and why K-pop isn’t immune. (Guardian)
In 2025 British culture had a global moment – but can it last? (Guardian - Rachel Aroesti)
Honest playlist: KT Tunstall (Guardian)
In Lazarus, the author Alexander Larman chronicles how David Bowie burst out of the doldrums of his mid-career years to have a last creative blast. (Times - Victoria Segal)
John Lydon on losing his wife of 44 years, supporting Brexit and why he feels let down by Nigel Farage. (Times - Ed Potton)
After 20 years playing around the world, Oi Va Voi had two UK gigs cancelled this year after protests from activists. It’s made them feel targeted for who they are, the band say. (Guardian - Gaby Hinsliff)
Despite the blockbuster gigs, music's cash-starved grassroots is on the brink. (Telegraph - James Warrington)
Japan’s dangerous hardcore punk scene looks back to its roots. (Guardian - Alex Deller)
The best old music we discovered this year. (Guardian)
The business of selling music has always been a source of grievance for those who create it. (FT - Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)
Zara Larsson has been fantasizing about this. (LATimes)
Data shows nostalgia for old songs (and ad campaigns) has replaced the melancholy covers that became a trademark for John Lewis. (Times)
Grief inspired so much of the year’s best music – and that’s something AI won’t ever feel. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)
The return of wired headphones is restoring friction to our convenience-addled lives. (Guardian - Shaad D'Souza)
Songwriter Biff Stannard said both Kylie Minogue's XMAS and 2 Become 1 from the Spice Girls have "a special place in my heart" having co-written both Christmas chart-toppers. (BBC)
Bold docuseries or dull branding exercise? What The End of an Era really told us about Taylor Swift. (BBC - Simran Hans)
Honest playlist: Beverley Knight (Guardian)
Chris Rea winced when I mentioned his hits. He shouldn’t have. (Telegraph - Neil McCormick)
Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas is an evergreen, everyman anthem that captures the season’s true spirit. (Guardian - Michael Hann)
Despite his knack for slick pop, the principled and passionate Chris Rea never took the easy road. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)
Haim talk about starting in their parents’ band, anxiety and break-ups. (Times - Will Hodgkinson)
Flamboyant, furious and full of hope: CMAT is the sound of 2025. (Guardian - John Harris)
Inside incredible rise of Olivia Dean from four singles in top 10 to topping Obama’s playlist & taking on Ticketmaster. (Sun - Tom Bryden)
After 37 years Kylie lands her first UK Christmas No 1. (Observer)
Trevor Nelson fell for Stevie Wonder’s music as a boy. He recalls the time they met — and he struggled not to cry. (SundayTimes)
Unzipped: Mel Blatt (SundayTimes)
Robbie Williams is calmer, fitter but just as funny, and back with his first new music in a decade. (SundayTimes - Jonathan Dean)
The best albums and songs of 2025. (BBC)
Lily Allen: aftermath of an album. (Observer - Kate Wiseman)
Kylie (and Amazon’s) victory proves Christmas number one is a farce. (Telegraph - Neil McCormick)
Honest playlist: Beverley Knight (Guardian)
Au Pairs vocalist Lesley Woods on reforming the 80s punk pioneers – without her bandmates. (Guardian - Fiona Sturges)
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SHOWBIZ & NEWS
The highest-grossing tour of the year and lucrative brand deals have propelled Beyonce to billionaire status. (Times, BBC)
Adele is said to have added more than £8.2m to her reported £200m fortune last year. (Mail)
Mariah Carey has been awarded $92,300 in attorney’s fees following the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged her 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' unlawfully copied an earlier song of the same name. (LawCommentary) Sony Music and others received more than $14,000.
New company accounts show Dua Lipa's Radical 22 Ltd reported a record year in 2024 as pre-tax profits increased by 37% to £18.96m. The company generated £15.39m from sponsorship, endorsements and other income, £3.68m from publishing advances, and £3.57m from recording advances and royalties. (Connaught)
George Michael's firm, Nobby’s Hobbies Holding Limited, has turned over £74.7million since he died aged 53 in 2016. (Sun)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks immediate release from prison in appeals argument. (HR)
Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary, has filed an appeal following a federal judge’s ruling last year that Cher is still entitled to 50% of the proceeds from her 1960s hits with Sonny. (DMN)
An investigation by the police into chants made during a Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury has concluded no further action will be taken as "there is insufficient evidential for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction". (BBC)
The Pussycat Dolls have seemingly “confirmed” their reunion by signing with a new talent agent. (Sun)
Timothee Chalamet finally put the rumour to bed that he is not the same person as Liverpudlian rapper EsDeeKid. (Mail)
Beverley Knight has revealed that at the height of her fame, music bosses had a meeting about her weight, when she was going through troubles at home. (Mail)
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REVIEWS
ALBUMS
Dry Cleaning (Guardian - 4* Alexis Petridis)
Blue (Guardian - 2* Michael Cragg)
Pink Floyd - ‘Wish You Were Here’ (FT - 5* Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)
Buckingham Nicks (FT - 4* Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)
LIVE
Stereolab - Brixton Electric, London (Observer - Kitty Empire)
Trevor Horn - Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (Times - 3* Mark Beaumont)
FILM
Bowie: The Final Act (FT- 2* Jonathan Romney, Times- 5* Ed Potton, Guardian - 3* Steve Rose)
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INTERNATIONAL
The FTC claps back against Key Investment Group’s motion to dismiss their suit against the ticket reseller, asserting violations of the BOTS Act. (DMN)
Live Nation makes a high-stakes move to kill the US government’s antitrust lawsuit, claiming that prosecutors have failed to produce any evidence. (DMN)
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BIGGER PICTURE
As well as being the dominant platform in podcasting and having a growing presence in live sport, YouTube is now the leader in TV and streaming in the US. (FT)
BBC Sounds celebrated another record-breaking year with over 2.5bn plays of radio, music and podcasts between January and November 2025 – an increase of 8% year-on-year. (BBC)
NEWS & PRESS
NTIA calls for transport investment alongside proposed drink drive limit changes
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “Road safety has to come first, and the night-time economy absolutely supports efforts to reduce harm and save lives. No venue, operator or community wants to see people injured or killed...more
Streamed and retail entertainment sales grew four times faster than UK economy in 2025
Music, video and games revenues up 7.1% to £13.3bn Streaming services and retailers grew UK revenues from music, video and games by 7.1% in 2025 to a new all-time-record of £13,257.3m, according to interim annual figures published today (January 7) by...more
Save the date: Record Store Day - 18 April 2026
Celebrating 19 years of independent record shops and vinyl culture in the UK Record Store Day (RSD) returns on Saturday 18 April 2026 for its 19th edition, celebrating independent record shops and the people who support them. More than 280 UK...more
Soundstripe and PopArabia Launch First Sync Camp in Middle East
Soundstripe, the premier music licensing platform, is collaborating with Abu Dhabi-based independent music company PopArabia to create a series of songwriting camps for MENA based artists and songwriters. The first camp, Soundstripe’s first outside of the US, took place this October in...more
Universal Music Group to transform music experience for billions of fans with Nvidia AI
Leveraging NVIDIA AI infrastructure and drawing from the world’s leading music catalog comprising millions of culture-defining tracks, this collaboration aims to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement Universal Music Group (EURONEXT: UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, announced...more
Universal Music Group appoints James Steven as EVP & Chief Communications Officer
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the appointment of James Steven as its Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer. Steven will be responsible for leading the company’s internal and external communications, and oversee the communications...more
Warner Chappell Music strikes global publishing deal with Ziggy Alberts
Today, Warner Chappell Music expands its global roster with the signing of Australian singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts to a worldwide publishing deal. Signed through Warner Chappell Music Australia, the agreement will encompass Alberts’ complete catalogue and future works, with a close collaborative partnership alongside Warner Chappell Music Nashville to support...more
IRMA announcement of Ireland’s recorded music consumption data for 2025: “Homegrown talent surges in popularity, propelling another year of solid growth for Ireland’s recorded music market”
Homegrown talent surges in popularity, propelling another year of solid growth for Ireland's recorded music market Releases from Fontaines DC, CMAT, Kingfishr, Amble, Hozier & Jazzy helped grow the Irish singles market by 7% and albums by 12% in 2025. Irish artists' market share...more
Italian annual official music charts 2025 celebrates Italian leadership
YOUNG ACT OLLY DOMINATES ALBUMS AND SINGLES, RAPPER CAPAREZZA TOPS THE PHYSICAL CHART Consumption, records and trends in the Italian music market in 2025 ALL THE CHARTS HERE The soundtrack of 2025 in Italy is strongly dominated by local music: it’s the result...more
Superstition is crowned ‘Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song’ by BBC Radio 2 listeners
BBC Radio 2 listeners have crowned Superstition as their ‘Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song’, following an audience vote from a long list of his 60 most played solo tracks on the station. The song, taken from Stevie’s 15th studio album Talking Book, was a hit...more
Christmas break 2025 - News
News from the break will appeared here from 20 December to 4 January.Most stories have now been moved to the 5 January daily email. ————————————————————NEWS Kylie Minogue scooped the festive No1 single, beating Wham! to the top spot. (Mail, Sun) The vibrant pulse...more
New wave of global British breakthrough talent helps UK recorded music grow for 11th consecutive year
UK recorded music consumption rises to 210 million albums, with over 200 billion audio streams generated for the first time and vinyl sales rising for an 18th consecutive year to keep physical formats in growth. British breakthrough artists including Olivia Dean, Lola...more
New Year's Honours list
OBEPhil Patterson, for services to Export and to the Music Industry. Karen Emanuel. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Key Production Group, for services to Music. CBEComposer Max Richter, for services to Music. MBESinger Ellie Goulding, for services to biodiversity and the climate. Cynthia Erivo,...more
Karen Emanuel, Founder and CEO of Key Production Group, Awarded an OBE for Services to Music
Karen Emanuel named in The King’s 2025 New Year’s Honours List, announced today Karen set up Key Production in 1990 - now the biggest physical music manufacturing agency in Europe, servicing the music industry A significant figure in improving gender imbalances within...more
Universal Music Group and Roblox announce strategic agreement to expand creative and commercial music experiences on the platform for artists, labels and fans
Roblox will collaborate with UMG to introduce industry-leading integrations on the platform to music fans and Roblox users globally Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment and Roblox, an immersive gaming and creation platform, today announced a new strategic agreement...more
6 exceptional collaborative new music projects supported to tour across the UK and Republic of Ireland through PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders
PRS Foundation, together with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Ireland announce the UK and Ireland-based organisations, music groups and composers that will receive funding through the co-commissioning and touring programme Beyond Borders. The...more
PRS for Music and IPRS announce groundbreaking new licensing model to launch Apple Fitness+ in India
PRS for Music and the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) have today announced a landmark new licensing model to support the launch of Apple Fitness+ in India. The new initiative marks a significant step forward in how digital music rights are...more
North East Music Leader Named On Influential Government Creative Council
Generator CEO will sit among leading figures from film, TV, design and other creative sectors to champion regional music industry The leader of a North East headquartered music development organisation has been named on an influential Government-led body charged with developing...more
‘The Numbers No Longer Add Up’: Half of Night Time Venues Face 50%+ Business Rate Rises as 2026 Operating Costs Become Unsustainable
Britain’s nightclubs, live music venues, and late-night entertainment spaces are warning that 2026 will bring unsustainable operating costs, with nearly half of venues expecting business rates to rise by 50% or more, according to a flash poll of 345 nightlife business operators. Rising rates...more
Universal Music Group and Splice to Collaborate on the Next Generation of AI-powered Music Creation Tools for Artists
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and Splice, the world's most popular music creation platform, have agreed to collaborate on joint exploration of the next generation of AI-powered music creation tools for musical artists. UMG and Splice are...more
Global Nightlife Leaders from Over 30 Countries Converge on Liverpool for Night Time Economy Summit 2026
Liverpool will take centre stage in the global nightlife conversation as night-time economy leaders from more than 30 countries converge on the city for the Night-Time Economy Summit 2026, taking place on 11th and 12th February 2026. Hosted at Blackstock Market, the two-day Summit...more
European Talent Exchange presents final results 2025
ESNS Alumni make international impact across festivals in 2025 European Talent Exchange proudly presents the final results of 2025, a year in which emerging European artists crossed borders at an exceptional pace. Throughout the year, the programme supported 352 shows by 150...more
Independent music publishers generated €2.7bn in 2024 globally - up 5.1% YoY
The latest edition of IMPF's Global Market View also confirms that the collective global market share of the independent music publishing community held firm at 26.3% in 2024. Independent music publishers generated €2.7bn globally in 2024, representing a 5.1% increase year-on-year. The...more
PPL distributes £54.3 million to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders bringing payments in 2025 to £277.7 million
PPL is paying £54.3 million to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders today, either as direct members of PPL or indirectly through other collective management organisations (CMOs), including over 8,500 first time payees. This final distribution of the year also includes...more
Beggars Group
We are pleased to confirm that the shares in the Beggars Group were transferred into a Trust in October 2024. This strategic decision aims to preserve the company's independence and help to ensure continuity over future generations, in the interests...more
France’s music publishing market was up 6% in 2024 to €597 million boosted by strong revenues in Digital, Public Performance and Live
The music publishing market in France has posted record revenues of €597 million in 2024, up 6% compared to 2023, according to the yearly report ‘Focus on Music Publishing in France 2024′, unveiled today by music publishers’ associations CSDEM (pop...more
Bandcamp Fridays in 2025 Deliver Over $19 Million to Independent Artists and Labels, Surpassing Last Year's Total
Final Bandcamp Friday of the Year Was the Strongest of the Year – Driving More Than $3.8 Million in 24 Hours Since Its 2020 Launch, the Initiative Has Routed Over $154 Million Directly to Artists and Labels Bandcamp, the world's largest online music...more
BMG and TikTok expand partnership to advance songwriter recognition and digital rights management
BMG has renewed and expanded its direct music publishing agreement with TikTok, marking the next phase in a partnership focused on evolving digital rights, creating deeper value for songwriters, and supporting continued innovation across the platform. The new agreement strengthens BMG's...more
BPI opens nominations for election of Independent Representatives on its Council
The BPI is holding elections for two independent representative places on its Council BPI Council plays a key role in determining the trade association’s strategy and policy goals Deadline for nominations is 1pm Thursday 15 January 2026, with voting opening in early...more
PRS for Music pays out record £274.9 million in final royalty distributions of 2025
Nearly 400 music creators receive a royalty payment for the first time PRS for Music has announced its largest-ever royalty payout, distributing £274.9 million to rightsholders worldwide. The December distributions mark a 4% increase on last year, cementing its role as...more
THE HEADLINES
Spotify now lets you share what you’re streaming in real time with friends (see Digital)
Streamed and retail entertainment sales grew four times faster than UK economy in 2025 (see News)
UMG announces collaboration with NVIDIA to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement (see News)
2026 music industry predictions (see Features)
New wave of global British breakthrough talent helps UK recorded music grow for 11th consecutive year (see News)
What’s going to give you the marketing edge in 2026? (see Features)
The global value of music copyright hits an all-time high (see Reports)
The 'metamorphosis' of Atlantic Records (see Features)
Looking ahead to 2026 (see Opinion)
Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan (see News)
Music discovery: More channels, more problems (see Reports)
The 10 biggest AI music stories of 2025 (see Features)