Sony Music buys 49% stake in music unit of Vietnam media giant YeaH1; companies launch new SYE Holdings joint ventureSME, through Sony Music Entertainment Hong Kong, agreed to acquire a 49% stake in YeaH1-owned 1Label for an undisclosed sum last month.
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Will.i.am: “I can’t be that critical of AI – because I have a career sampling music”The debate surrounding AI in music is complex and highly nuanced. Many are critical of fully fledged AI music generators – saying their content is flooding streaming services and diluting the creativity of real human artists – while others hail the potential of artificial intelligence to expedite the creative process.
Black Eyed Peas superstar Will.i.am is one of many industry veterans urging people to be more open to the adoption of AI in the creative process. Back in 2023, he spoke on how AI was still in its infancy, saying: “It’s Super Mario Bros. right now – we ain’t even got to Call of Duty yet.”

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And speaking to CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last week, the singer once again revealed his thoughts on AI, saying it’s not dissimilar to the rise of sampling decades ago.
“Imagine it’s 1970, we’re talking about jazz here, right?” he says. “A jazz musician would say, ‘What do you think about these samplers that are coming? People just sampling our stuff that we did back in the past. You think that’s music?’
“Turns out that that’s the form of hip-hop sampling and using technology to reimagine and chop up and reconfigure… So I can’t be that critical [of] AI, because I have a career sampling music…”
He also suggests that developers who write the code for AI music generators should also be given some credit in the creative process.
“At the core of AI music is some developer, and though that’s their art, you can’t discredit their art for creating that algorithm to create,” he says.
“Yes, they did borrow from music. They did train on, you know, the entire library that humans have made and that people should be paid for…
“We’re going to get to a point 20 years from now where it would have evolved, and it’s not about training on yesterday’s music. We have to prepare ourselves for that, too. Because the AI that we’re concerned about is not here yet, and that is the AI that’s creating just on it’s own.”

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Native Instruments CEO updates users: “Business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx”Following the news of Native Instruments going into preliminary insolvency proceedings, the brand’s CEO, Nick Williams, has issued an update via NI’s blog page. He assures the community of creators, customers and partners that it’s “business as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx.”
Since the news spread, the internet has been rife with predictions on which company will acquire NI — InMusic, Splice, and Fender are among the many brand names that have been suggested as potential buyers. Meanwhile, many posts criticising and mourning NI are circulating, with one YouTuber even citing the news as “the upcoming collapse of the music industry”.
Williams suggests that such speculation is premature, saying that the company is “working diligently and responsibly to secure a healthy, financially sustainable future for Native Instruments.” He adds that the Native Instruments brands are also “continuing to develop and launch new products and features. Our NKS Partnerships team continues to process Kontakt Player licences and NKS Partner submissionss.”
Read the full statement below.
“I want to personally take a moment to address the recent news about Native Instruments.
“Please rest assured that business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx. Our hardware and software products remain on sale and available for download and activation. Our passionate and dedicated teams are here and supporting customers as normal. In product and engineering, we are continuing to develop and launch new products and features. Our NKS Partnerships team continues to process Kontakt Player licences and NKS Partner submissions.
“We are working diligently and responsibly to secure a healthy, financially sustainable future for Native Instruments. As you may have seen, Native Instruments GmbH has entered a restructuring process in Germany, as have 3 of our German non-operating holding companies. In legal terms, we have filed applications to open pre-insolvency proceedings for those companies.
“We are focused on providing continuity for creators, customers, and partners. We’ll continue to share updates as we have them.
“I’m a lifelong musician myself, and have been a passionate fan of Native Instruments for 25 years. Our mission to inspire and enable creators to express themselves through sound continues.”
Keep up with more music production industry news. 
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60,000 AI tracks hit Deezer daily as platform moves to license detection tech to wider music industryDeezer also revealed that up to 85% of all streams on AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025
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Music streaming platforms now host quarter of a BILLION tracks. Where does it end?New Luminate report reveals head-spinning volume of content on audio services, as debate rages over minimum-stream payout thresholds.
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Apple to introduce Apple Creator Studio The bundle will include Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage, and will also include some new intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers and eventually Freeform for iPhone.

How to Get Your Song to 1,000 Streams [Marketing Plan]Artists, here's a breakdown of exactly how to spend your time and budget to make the biggest impact, and get your track to 1k streams.
The post How to Get Your Song to 1,000 Streams [Marketing Plan] appeared first on Hypebot.

Linux Audio Conference as #Opensource #musictech this year

Linux Audio Conference 2026 The Linux Audio Conference, or LAC, is an international conference dedicated to free/open-source software for music, audio and other media where GNU/Linux features as the main creation platform.

NAMM features the first #MusicTechnology innovation hub on the show, Yamaha had also opened #Music innovation hub, it is the new #MusicBusiness

Universal Music Group and NVIDIA’s new partnership aims to be a “direct antidote to generic AI slop”Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced a collaboration with chipmaker giant NVIDIA to pioneer “responsible AI” for music discovery, creation, and fan engagement.
The partnership, which leverages NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo model and UMG’s catalogue of millions of recordings, seeks to “enrich and enhance the music experience of the billions of music consumers worldwide”.
The companies plan to develop AI tools that take music discovery, engagement, and consumption beyond traditional search and personalisation. They will also explore ways to use AI to protect artists’ work and ensure proper attribution of music-based content.

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One key focus of the partnership is a new artist incubator, designed to put musicians, songwriters, and producers at the heart of AI music creation. UMG and NVIDIA say the incubator will co-develop tools that empower artists rather than replace them, and calls this a “direct antidote to generic, ‘AI slop’ outputs”.
On the discovery front, the partnership will expand NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo model to transform how fans find and engage with music. Unlike typical algorithms that rely on basic metadata or genre tags, Music Flamingo can analyse full-length tracks, capturing harmony, structure, timbre, lyrics, and even cultural context.
The model uses advanced reasoning to interpret chord progressions, emotional arcs, and other subtle musical details, helping listeners explore music in a more meaningful and personal way.
The collab will also employ both companies’ research capabilities, including the use of UMG’s world-class studio operations such as Abbey Road Studios in London and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. In addition, UMG will use NVIDIA AI infrastructure in the development of responsibly trained AI-driven business and creative processes.
UMG CEO Sir Lucian Grainge has previously warned against low-quality, mass-produced AI music flooding streaming platforms, calling it “platform pollution”. The new partnership aims to “set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity.”
“We’re entering an era where a music catalogue can be explored like an intelligent universe – conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive”, says NVIDIA’s VP/GM of Media Richard Kerris. “By extending NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo with UMG’s unmatched catalogue and creative ecosystem, we’re going to change how fans discover, understand, and engage with music on a global scale. And we’ll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists’ work, ensure attribution, and respect copyright.”
The deal follows a series of AI-focused partnerships from Universal, including collaborations with Splice and Udio.
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CES 2026: Everything revealed, from Nvidia’s debuts to AMD’s new chips to Razer’s AI oddities CES 2026 is in full swing in Las Vegas, with the show floor open to the public after a packed couple of days occupied by press conferences from the likes of Nvidia, Sony, and AMD and previews from Sunday’s Unveiled event.  As has been the case for the past two years at CES, AI is at the forefront of […]

Napster is no longer a music streaming service, which is shutting down. It becomes an #AI #Music "platform for creating and experiencing music in new ways." #MusicBusiness

LANDR acquires Reason Studios: “This isn’t about changing Reason, it’s about giving it room to grow”Reason Studios has been acquired by AI-forward music production company, LANDR. The partnership is set to “redefine the future of music creation”, with sights set on enhancing Reason Studio’s classic DAW and Rack with new tools and AI-powered features.
Montreal-based LANDR explains that the acquisition will see Reason entering a new creative dawn. “Our vision is to make Reason and the Reason Rack indispensable tools for every producer, regardless of what DAW they use,” Pascal Pilon, CEO of LANDR, explains.

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“Wherever music is made, Reason will be there, with its amazing instruments, effects, and iconic analogue workflow – enhanced by LANDR’s value-rich creator tools,” the CEO continues.
Of course, merely uttering “AI” is sometimes enough to concern creatives. To quell any worries, the announcement repeatedly emphasises the notion of “preserving” Reason’s current “identity”, while “expanding” the possibilities of the DAW.
As a result, the acquisition wont instantly introduce major changes. Instead, there will be a “gradual” introduction of AI-powered features and tools to “make the creative process more seamless, inspiring and accessible”.
“This isn’t about changing Reason, it’s about giving it room to grow,” Pilon emphasises. “We’re preserving each brand’s identity and core market while unlocking new possibilities for creators everywhere.”
Verdane, the company that previously owned the majority stake in Reason Studios, has also shared a few words in light of LANDR’s acquisition. “Working with the Reason Studios team since 2017 has been an honour for all of us at Verdane,” says Director Charlotte Möller. “We’re glad that the business has found the perfect partner in LANDR for its next stage of growth.”
The acquisition will also see a new Artist Council forming, which will consist of well-known producers and users of Reason. The Council will help determine the future of Reason, putting the needs and concerns of creatives at the forefront.
“Like a lot of producers, Reason was my first experience making music on a computer, and I’ve been a fan ever since,” Daniel Rowland, VP of Strategy at LANDR, notes. “Reason has always been shaped by its community, and this council makes that official, giving power users a direct voice in shaping the tools they rely on, benefitting all of us.”
Learn more at LANDR.
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From stablecoins to incumbents, VCs map crypto value in 2025Venture partners such as Pantera, Hash3 and Variant look back on a year of regulatory shifts and uneven markets, outlining crypto’s biggest winners and losers in 2025.