Bittersweet Symphonies: AllMusic's Love Songs for the LovelornAnother Valentine's Day is upon us, and our hearts go out to the wistful and wishing among us. Our editors pulled together some of their personal favorite swoon-worthy songs and albums to give the day that extra bit of bittersweet hum.

ByteDance has been building an AI music beast… with a little help from The Beatles and Michael JacksonByteDance is fascinated with building music AI technologies...
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Songwriters: Are you Getting Paid All the Mechanical Royalties You Should be? Navigating the world of digital music royalties can be tricky, but understanding how they work is essential for songwriters. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) plays a key role in ensuring songwriters are paid the digital mechanical royalties (also known as streaming royalties) they deserve. Here’s a breakdown of what The MLC is and why it’s so important for you.What is The MLC?  The MLC is a nonprofit organization that is transforming the way songwriters, publishers, and other rightsholders are paid for their music that is streamed and downloaded on digital platforms like Apple Music and Spotify in the United States. Every month, The MLC collects streaming data and royalties from these platforms, matches the payments to the creators who earned them, and distributes the mechanical royalties to songwriters, publishers, and administrators.The MLC is dedicated to ensuring that songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their digital mechanical royalties accurately and on time. To date, The MLC has distributed over $2.5 billion in royalties and serves more than 50,000 members.Who Should Join The MLC?If you are entitled to receive digital audio mechanical royalties in the U.S. — whether you’re a self-administered songwriter, composer, lyricist, music publisher, or administrator — you need to become a member of The MLC. But what does it mean to be a self-administered songwriter? Let’s explain.A self-administered songwriter is someone who acts as their own music publisher for the works they’ve created.Here’s the breakdown:Fully Self-Administered Songwriters: These creators handle all aspects of registration, licensing, and collecting royalties for their works on their own.

Partially Self-Administered Songwriters: These creators manage some of their works themselves but have partnered with a publisher or administrator for the remaining works, that they have entered into a legal agreement with. By joining The MLC, you ensure that you receive all the mechanical royalties you’re owed. Best of all, membership is absolutely FREE. Need More Information?The MLC understands that navigating the process of collecting various types of royalties can be complex, especially if you don’t have a publisher or administrator. The MLC is here to help with a step-by-step guide for songwriters, composers, and lyricists to ensure you’re receiving all of your publishing royalties. Click here for our to-do list!  For more details on how to join The MLC, click here. You can gain additional answers and insights about The MLC by visiting the FAQ page.   The post Songwriters: Are you Getting Paid All the Mechanical Royalties You Should be?  first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Harvard Business Review explores Taylor Swift’s ‘Strategic Genius’A new book from Harvard Business Review Press will dive deep into how Taylor Swift built her global global empire. "There’s Nothing Like This" explores Taylor Swift’s 'strategic genius', the strategies behind her record-breaking success, and how others can learn from her journey.
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NEW: Live Music News from across the webHypebot has added a Live Industry News tab to the top of the home page that links to a new curated feed of live music industry news from hundreds of global news sources.
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Every human #Musician and #Producer must have their own watermark/fingerprint printed to a complete track they produce. Ideally, it should be located in inaudible spectrum and every person should register this personal code in some #Opensource international music database. And the trace must be dynamic not static, and devices should read it too. I think this can solve most of problems of #AI (as a good tool) and copyrights issues in the #MusicIndustry. Probably, this is where #Technology and #musictech should focus more. There are several technologies already available for music distributors and big broadcast players around

The Quiet Riot Song That Sounded Like Def Leppard's Hysteria…a Year EarlierAuthor and AllMusic contributor Greg Prato offers an insightful excerpt from his new book "Bang Your Head, Feel the Noize: The Quiet Riot Story" examining the album that presaged the electronic influences Def Leppard would implement with huge success on their next record.

Ex-Spotify CFO Barry McCarthy has sold $49m in company stock over the past three months, as Daniel Ek’s share sales hit $94m in 2025 aloneSpotify's stock price has been hitting record highs, propelling the company to a valuation of over $125 billion
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TikTok Wants a Music Content Investment ManagerThe TikTok Music Content Investment Team is a newly formed team that focuses on partnership or acquisition opportunities in the music content space on a global level. The team will work with TikTok music content strategy team and operations teams in evaluating market opportunities, executing partnership or acquisition projects, performing detailed financial analysis and valuations of music content and related assets that would help shape the future of TikTok music businesses. Together, the team works with higher management on setting overall strategic direction, and be responsible for the results of partnership and acquisitions.Apply via LinkedIn.The post TikTok Wants a Music Content Investment Manager first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Jack White offers $20 tickets for Students to Sold Out tourJack White offers $20 tickets for students at every stop on his sold out No Name Tour.
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Classical Highlights for January 2025Our January classical reviews contain some radiant and recognizable music, highlighted by Trumpeter Romain Leleu (pictured) and pianist Julien Gernay creating an inventive program for Folies Parisiennes that not only shows off their skills, but also delights the listener.

Copyright Office to investigate PROs: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMRThe U.S. Copyright Office has published a "Notice of Inquiry" to collect information on performance rights organizations (PROs). The inquiry into ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Global Music Rights (GMR) and others comes at the behest of Congress and organizations representing venues, promoters, songwriters and music publishers.
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Blueprint Music Goes Live: A New Era for Artists and FansThe wait is over. Blueprint Music is officially live, ushering in a revolution for the music industry. Designed to give artists and fans direct control over music creation, revenue, and experiences, Blueprint challenges the exploitative status quo and puts power back where it belongs—with the artists and their fans.Unlike traditional streaming services and record labels, Blueprint ensures artists receive 50% of all revenue generated from their music—a stark contrast to current industry payouts that leave musicians with mere fractions of a cent per stream. Fans, meanwhile, gain unprecedented access, from exclusive content and early music releases to VIP experiences and voting rights on upcoming projects, all powered by Blueprint Tokens.“Musicians deserve better than the outdated industry model,” said Phil Ryan, Co-Founder of Blueprint Music. “Blueprint isn't just another platform—it’s a movement. We’re here to ensure artists are fairly compensated while giving fans a deeper, more meaningful way to connect with the music they love.”Blueprint Music is live, and fans and musicians can claim early access now early adopters are already signing up, and many are using this time to join now ahead of any exclusivity.  Artists and fans who sign up now can claim exclusive perks, VIP access, and the chance to help shape the platform before the full-scale launch in June 2025.  For artists who sign up now, they will secure their spot and start earning 50% of all revenue from their music. For fans who sign up now, they will gain voting rights, early access to unreleased music, and behind-the-scenes content from top artists.Blueprint Music is what the music industry needs and it is already attracting major artists and thousands of fans who are tired of an industry that underpays creators and limits fan interaction. The platform’s blockchain-powered ecosystem ensures:Fair artist payouts – 50% revenue share, no middlemen.

Direct fan engagement – Exclusive content, VIP access, and artist-fan voting.

True ownership – Secure transactions, transparent rights, and artist-first policies."Blueprint Music is a platform that finally puts the power back where it belongs—with artists and fans. As an artist myself, I know this is the change the music industry has needed," said Simon Webbe, Co-founder of Blueprint Music.Since its pre-launch announcement, Blueprint Music has seen a surge in signups from both artists and fans eager to take control of their music experience. The platform is already in talks with top-tier global artists preparing to launch exclusive content and interactive fan experiences.“The music industry is overdue for disruption,” said Oliver Moorhouse, Co-Founder of Blueprint Music. “Blueprint is built to empower artists and give fans a seat at the table. This is the future of music, and it’s happening now.”The post Blueprint Music Goes Live: A New Era for Artists and Fans first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Henry Naldjian promoted to Chief Technology Officer at Sony Music PublishingExec to oversee company’s ongoing "technological transformation efforts"
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Charli XCX, Noah Kahan donate $25K as Chappell Roan challenges critics to help artistsWhen the "Pink Pony Club" singer won the 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist, she delivered a powerful speech calling on the industry to do more to help artists. Now, Chappell Roan challenges critics to match her donations to help artists dropped by their record labels.
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