music – Tech News

Bandcamp takes a stand against AI music, banning it from the platform

The music distribution platform Bandcamp announced in a Reddit post on Tuesday that it’s banning AI-generated music and audio. “We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans,” the company said. Bandcamp’s new guidelines state that music and audio generated “wholly or in substantial part by AI” is not permitted, and that it will not allow the use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/14/bandcamp-takes-a-stand-against-ai-music-banning-it-from-the-platform/

TikTok quietly launches a new ‘TikTok for Artists’ platform

As TikTok’s fate in the United States remains uncertain, the tech giant has quietly started testing a new “TikTok for Artists” insights platform that is designed to help artists build their careers, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The platform will provide artists with tools to promote their songs, understand performance metrics, and engage with fans. The platform is currently being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. TikTok plans to bring the platform to additional markets in the future alongside a wider rollout.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/03/tiktok-quietly-launches-a-new-tiktok-for-artists-platform/

Nintendo made a music streaming app for Switch Online subscribers

While we all wait for the reveal of Nintendo’s next console, the company has once again announced something very different. This time, it’s a mobile app called Nintendo Music, which lets users listen to classic gaming tunes from Nintendo games spanning the last few decades, including Splatoon, Animal Crossing, and The Legend of Zelda. It’s only available to Switch Online subscribers, and it’s launching today on both iOS and Android.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/30/24284073/nintendo-music-streaming-app-switch-online-subscribers

Twitch DJs will now have to pay music labels to play songs in livestreams

Twitch has come up with a solution for the ongoing copyright issues that DJs encounter on the platform. The company announced Thursday a new program that enables DJs to stream millions of tracks in a new DJ Category, giving them more clarity on which songs are safe to use in their streams. The only catch is DJs have to cough up a portion of their earnings.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/06/twitch-djs-will-now-have-to-pay-music-labels-to-play-songs-in-livestreams

Universal Music Group plans to pull song catalog from TikTok

Universal Music Group (UMG), the label representing artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, says that it’ll pull its music from TikTok tomorrow at midnight after failing to reach a deal with the platform’s parent company, ByteDance, over royalties.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/30/universal-music-group-plans-to-pull-song-catalog-from-tiktok/

Grimes says anyone can AI-generate her voice “without penalty”

On Sunday night, Canadian musician Grimes tweeted that she would split 50 percent royalties on "any successful AI generated song" that uses her voice, reports The Verge. As an independent artist, Grimes says anyone can use her voice without penalty. "I have no label and no legal bindings," she says.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/04/grimes-says-anyone-can-ai-generate-her-voice-without-penalty/

Vinyl records outsell CDs for first time in decades

Vinyl record sales outperformed CDs in the US for the first time since 1987, according to a new report. Just over 41 million vinyl records were sold in 2022, to the tune of $1.2bn (£.99bn). Only 33 million CDs were sold, amounting to $483m. It was the 16th consecutive year of growth for record sales, about 71% of physical format revenues.
https://www.bbc.com/news/64919126