MAIA Universe, the Stockholm- and London-based sync licensing platform, has signed new partnership agreements with BMG, Kobalt Music, Warner Music Group and Cooking Vinyl, according to the company. BMG’s deal covers both publishing and recordings, Kobalt’s covers publishing, and Warner Music Group and Cooking Vinyl’s deals cover recordings. The additions build on previously announced agreements with Warner Chappell and Sony Music Publishing, bringing the platform’s total to more than 200 labels and 90 publishing partners, the company says.

MAIA Universe has also been appointed by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) as part of its enhanced operating model, with a pilot program set to launch in early 2027 ahead of a broader rollout to MCPS members later that year.

Separately, the company says it has secured strategic investment from ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus, Swedish songwriting and production company MxM, founded by Max Martin, and the RMV team led by Ludvig Andersson, producer of ABBA Voyage. David Wille, CEO of MAIA Universe, said the moves reflect growing demand for sync licensing and are intended to make the process faster and simpler for songwriters and artists.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Matt Cartmell, cartacomms.com.

Amsterdam Dance Event has confirmed Pasquale Rotella, founder of Insomniac Events and creator of Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, as the final headline speaker of its 2026 ADE Pro conference program. Rotella will appear in conversation with Billboard Dance director Katie Bain on Thursday, October 22 at Felix Meritis in Amsterdam, as part of ADE’s 30th anniversary edition.

According to the announcement, the session will include a major announcement from ADE and Insomniac that organizers are keeping confidential until it is revealed live during the keynote. ADE describes the appearance as a rare public conference appearance for Rotella, who will discuss the state of rave culture and argue for establishing it as an industry distinct from the broader music business.

The conversation is expected to address topics including the role of independent promoters, the commercial growth of large-scale events, and the preservation of rave culture’s underground roots. Rotella, who began organizing underground parties in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, now leads Insomniac’s portfolio of festivals including EDC, Beyond Wonderland and Nocturnal Wonderland.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Nikki McNeill, globalpublicity.co.uk.

Universal Music Publishing Group has promoted Maree Hamblion to EVP, A&R and Creative for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, Hamblion will oversee the company’s creative and talent development strategy across both markets.

The promotion places Hamblion in a senior leadership role within UMPG’s regional operations as the publisher continues to build out its songwriter and talent rosters in the Asia-Pacific territory.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

ASCAP’s Nashville office has parted ways with two veteran staffers, Mike Sistad and Evyn Mustoe Johnston, according to a new report. Together the pair logged nearly four decades at the performing rights organization.

Sistad had been with ASCAP since 2001, while Johnston joined the Nashville team in 2012. Details on the circumstances of their departures and their next moves have not been disclosed.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against ticket broker REPS, accusing it of generating $120.8 million in profit by circumventing per-person ticket limits to resell tickets for concerts including Beyoncé shows and other major events.

According to the complaint, REPS purchased more than eight tickets to each of at least 83,000 events between January 2022 and October 2025, allegedly using methods designed to bypass purchase caps set by ticketing platforms and promoters.

The case adds to growing federal scrutiny of the ticket resale market, where regulators and artists alike have pushed back against bulk-buying practices that drive up prices for fans.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.

Sony Music and Universal Music Group have asked a Boston federal court to force venture capital firm Lightspeed, an investor in AI music startup Suno, to testify about what it knew regarding legal risk tied to training data. The request came in a filing submitted last Tuesday, October 13, opposing Lightspeed’s motion to quash the labels’ subpoena.

The move is part of the broader litigation between major labels and Suno over the use of copyrighted recordings to train AI models. By seeking testimony from an investor rather than the company itself, the labels appear to be probing how much due diligence backers conducted on potential copyright exposure before funding the startup.

Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.