The Recording Academy is exploring the creation of a new Grammy category for Asian pop music, following criticism over the exclusion of BTS and other Asian acts from major nominations in recent years. Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said leadership has held discussions with representatives across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and Indian music scenes as part of the review.

The talks signal an acknowledgment from the Academy that its existing categories have struggled to accommodate the commercial and cultural reach of Asian pop genres. No timeline or formal proposal has been announced, but the discussions suggest a potential expansion of the Grammy awards structure in coming cycles.

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Jamendo has dropped its copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music generator Suno, just six weeks after bringing the case. The music library and licensing company has not detailed the reasoning behind the withdrawal.

The move comes as Suno overhauls its platform policies, including plans to introduce audio watermarking and fingerprinting technology in the coming weeks. Those tools are designed to help identify AI-generated tracks and address rights holders’ concerns about unlicensed use of copyrighted material in model training.

Suno remains under legal pressure elsewhere, with major label lawsuits still pending, but the Jamendo case’s quick reversal suggests at least one dispute may be heading toward a settlement or licensing arrangement rather than continued litigation.

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Suno has struck a licensing agreement with BMG that pairs rights access with new usage controls, including limits on downloads and watermarking of AI-generated tracks. The arrangement gives the music generation platform legal access to BMG’s catalog while building in guardrails meant to address rights holders’ concerns about unauthorized use and traceability.

Alongside the licensing terms, the deal introduces two new outputs for users: a professional tier and a physical product option, expanding how Suno-generated material can be distributed or monetized beyond streaming platforms.

The agreement reflects a broader industry pattern of major rights holders negotiating direct licensing terms with AI music generators rather than pursuing litigation, following similar moves by other labels and publishers over the past year.

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Live Nation has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by a concertgoer who claimed he suffered a traumatic brain injury at a Luke Bryan performance at a US amphitheater operated by the company. The suit was filed in 2024.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The case adds to a string of legal matters facing Live Nation as the promoter contends with ongoing scrutiny of its venue operations and safety practices.

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Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl defended his company’s licensing agreement with AI music generator Suno, saying artificial intelligence should be embraced rather than fought through litigation. He made the comments on Semafor’s Mixed Signals podcast, released Friday (August 14).

Warner struck a deal with Suno earlier this year, breaking ranks with Universal Music Group and Sony Music, which are both pursuing copyright infringement lawsuits against the AI startup. Kyncl’s remarks signal a continued split among major labels over how to handle AI music tools trained on copyrighted recordings.

Kyncl also touched on his broader views on streaming and technology in the industry, including reflections on his prior career at Netflix and YouTube.

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Spotify has reduced the official stream total for a hit song after detecting suspicious activity linked to wagers placed on Kalshi, the prediction market where users can bet on music chart outcomes. The move signals growing concern among streaming platforms that betting markets tied to real-time chart data could incentivize stream manipulation.

Kalshi disclosed in April that trading volume on its music-related contracts had already surpassed $400 million so far in 2026, underscoring how quickly wagering on song and artist performance has scaled. The platform lets users bet on outcomes such as whether a track will hit certain streaming or chart milestones.

Spotify’s action raises questions about how streaming services will police data integrity as prediction markets increasingly tie financial stakes to metrics the platforms themselves report.

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A federal judge has denied Sony Music’s request to expand its copyright lawsuit against AI music generator Udio to include more than 30,000 additional recordings. The ruling keeps the case limited to the 333 works Sony originally named in its complaint.

The decision narrows the scope of one of the major-label litigation efforts targeting AI music generation tools, at least for now. Sony had sought to significantly broaden the case’s reach as part of the broader industry pushback against AI platforms trained on copyrighted recordings.

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Warner Music Group has appointed Logan Light as Chief of Staff to CEO Robert Kyncl. According to Light’s LinkedIn profile, he joined the company in March.

The move adds another senior executive to Kyncl’s leadership team as he continues to shape WMG’s strategy since taking the top job.

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