G Flip’s “Bed On Fire” has held the top spot on Australia’s airplay chart for two months, a run that traces back to a television sync placement that helped ignite the track’s momentum.
The song has since gained further exposure through a high-profile placement tied to the AFL Grand Final, adding to its commercial run and outperforming other contenders on the chart during its stay at number one.
Read the full story at Billboard.
Spotify is adding new features to Reserved, its in-app ticketing tool, including shareable cards and automatically generated setlist playlists tied to specific shows. The setlist playlists will be available to ticket holders both before and after a concert.
The company is also consolidating Reserved content into a single in-app destination, making it easier for users to find tickets, playlists, and related material tied to their concerts in one place.
The update builds on Spotify’s push to deepen ties between music discovery and live events, giving artists another way to promote shows and keep fans engaged with a concert’s music before and after the date.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Spotify has published details on how its service works within Muse, Meta’s personal AI agent. Users who link their Spotify account to Muse can direct the assistant through conversation to play tracks, save songs and build playlists.
The integration positions Spotify as a backend music source for a third-party conversational AI tool, adding to a growing list of partnerships between streaming platforms and AI agents. It signals continued interest from major streaming services in making their catalogs accessible through voice and chat-based interfaces beyond their own apps.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
New details have emerged from Universal Music Group’s lawsuit against DistroKid, including a claim that tracks distributed through the DIY platform account for more than half of all songs on one unnamed major streaming service. The figure is being cited as evidence of the scale at which DistroKid has flooded streaming platforms with uploads.
UMG’s suit accuses DistroKid of deceptive trade practices and copyright infringement, alleging the distributor has allowed AI-generated “slop” content onto streaming services in large volumes. The label group argues this practice has diluted catalogs and created problems for rights holders and platforms alike.
The case adds to growing industry scrutiny of DIY distribution services and their role in the surge of AI-generated music appearing on major streaming platforms.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Distribution and music creation platform LANDR has expanded an AI-driven fraud detection system built in partnership with machine learning research lab Mila. The company says the tool has sharply curbed streaming manipulation across its catalog.
According to LANDR, the volume of artificial streams flagged by Spotify for music it distributes fell 95% between the first quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. The company frames the results as evidence that its machine learning approach can identify and deter fraudulent streaming activity before it affects royalty payouts.
The expansion comes as streaming platforms and distributors face continued pressure to police fraud, with major DSPs including Spotify tightening enforcement against bot-driven plays and other manipulation schemes that dilute royalty pools for legitimate artists.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
A coalition of sound designers and sound-effects libraries has launched the Professional Sound Alliance to address unauthorized use of their audio by AI companies. The group says it is responding to two distinct problems it terms Data Piracy, the unlicensed use of sound recordings to train AI models, and Sync Piracy, the unauthorized use of sound effects in synchronized media.
Organizers frame the effort as an attempt to secure protections for sound assets that have historically lacked the industry infrastructure and advocacy enjoyed by music rights holders. The Alliance is positioning itself as a unified voice for an often-overlooked corner of the audio industry as AI-related licensing disputes intensify across the broader entertainment sector.
Read the full story at Music Business Worldwide.
Canadian children’s musician Chris McKhool has released “Party in the Street,” the second single from his upcoming album Global Dance Party!, due November 6. The track was filmed at Toronto Caribbean Carnival and draws on Mardi Gras and Carnival traditions, blending blues, reggae, folk and world music influences.
The song was produced by McKhool, Kevin Laliberté and engineer John “Beetle” Bailey, and mixed in Dolby Atmos. It features an ensemble including Saskia Tomkins on fiddle, Drew Birston on bass, Marito Marques on drums, and a horn section of Doug Banwell, Kevin Turcotte and William Carn.
McKhool is a two-time JUNO nominee, most recently for Children’s Album of the Year for Little Leaf, and a Canadian Folk Music Award winner. A follow-up single, “On Halloween,” is set for release October 9 ahead of the full album. He will support the project with fall tour dates across Ontario and Alberta, including a Halloween-themed CD release event in Toronto on October 30.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.
A Man Called Adam has released a Special Edition of “Barefoot In The Head,” a 16-track collection marking 35 years since the Balearic and Acid Jazz staple first appeared, via Other Records. The set is led by “Barefoot 26,” a new version built from a rediscovered 2017 rehearsal recording of an orchestral performance with the Northern Symphonia in Leeds, according to the announcement.
The duo, Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones, first released “Barefoot In The Head” in 1990 before it appeared on their 1991 debut album “The Apple,” which turns 35 this year. The label says the track reached the UK Top 50 and helped shape early house, Acid Jazz and the Balearic sound the pair developed alongside José Padilla and Café Del Mar.
The Special Edition compiles 11 mixes previously unavailable for download or streaming, including the original bedroom demo, white-label cuts, a previously unheard track called “Bowelfoot,” and remixes from Farley & Heller, FUG and Justin Robertson. The release is supported by DJs including Justin Robertson, Radio Slave, Jim Baron of Crazy P and Richard Sen, according to the announcement.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Toni Tambourine, neighbourhoodpr.com.
Chris Stapleton will headline the 2027 Buckeye Country Superfest at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on July 10, with support from Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Blake Whiten and Laci Kaye Booth, according to the announcement.
Fan presale registration for the annual festival is open now at BuckeyeCountrySuperfest.com, with a presale window beginning Sept. 29 and an American Express cardholder presale running through Oct. 1. Hotel packages, including VIP, Club and A-Deck tiers, are already on sale, with standalone VIP packages available starting Sept. 23. General ticket sales open to the public on Oct. 2.
The booking continues a strong year for Stapleton, who the announcement says recently became the first country artist to have a song certified RIAA Double Diamond, with “Tennessee Whiskey” surpassing 20 million units, and who won Best Country Solo Performance at the 68th Grammy Awards.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Andy Wilson, elevate-supportservices.com.
Alchemy with Anthony Mason, the long-form interview series hosted by CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason, is now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, expanding beyond its original YouTube video format. The podcast launch episode features a conversation with Sara Bareilles about her first album in seven years and the grief that shaped it, according to the announcement.
The series debuted on YouTube in May 2026 and has featured artists including Paul Simon, Hozier, Nile Rodgers, Taj Mahal, Brittany Howard, Brandon Flowers and Sam Smith. Mason, a CBS News Special Correspondent and former co-host of CBS This Morning, has interviewed figures such as Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton and André 3000 over his career.
New episodes are set to publish weekly on Wednesdays. The show is executive produced by Rebecca Castagna, Anthony Mason and Alexander Mason in collaboration with Collective Media, and is presented by founding sponsor The FLAG Art Foundation.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by The Press House.