Streaming round-up – Summer 2026

by IDOL
News
24.08.26
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly round-up. This month, Spotify is introducing a personal music assistant, Instagram is highlighting music, and Deezer is supporting the return of Winamp.

The figure of the month: 75 million. That’s the number of low-quality AI-generated songs removed by Spotify. More info on Hypebot.

Economy

Apple Music
Apple Music sets a new quarterly revenue record in Q2 2026. More info on Music Ally. Apple Music raises subscription prices due to “rising licensing costs.” More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Anghami
Anghami, the Nasdaq-listed music and video streaming service operating in the MENA region, has received a preliminary buyout offer from its majority shareholder. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

BandLab
BandLab Technologies is acquiring Aiode, an AI music studio based on “fully licensed” audio. More info on Music Week.

Beatport
Beatport bans tracks “entirely or substantially” generated by AI. More info on Music Ally.

Deezer
Deezer’s first-half revenue increases, driven in part by a rise in the number of direct subscribers. More info on Billboard. Winamp, the popular media player from the 1990s, is preparing a comeback through a strategic partnership with Deezer. More info on Music Ally.

IFPI
The RIAA, IFPI, and others are joining forces to create a tagging system for AI-generated songs. More info on Billboard. IFPI is rolling out chart eligibility rules for labels’ AI-generated music across its global network of official charts. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Hybe
HYBE is shutting down its AI voice company Supertone after investing nearly $35 million. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Meta
Meta is removing the “Muse Image” AI feature that collected data from Instagram accounts. More info on Music Ally.

SoundCloud
SoundCloud acquires Nina Protocol, a platform dedicated to independent artists. More info on Music Week. SoundCloud and Twitch are launching a collaboration to help emerging DJs reach new fans. More info on Hypebot.

Spotify
Spotify becomes the first audio streaming service to surpass 300 million paid subscribers. More info on Music Week. Spotify is partnering with Indian carrier Vi to offer a bundle that includes a Premium subscription and a mobile plan. More info on Digital Music News.

Suno
Suno is preparing for an initial public offering. More info on Music Business Worldwide. GEMA wins a copyright infringement lawsuit against Suno. More info on Complete Music Update. Suno and Anthropic are facing a $1 billion lawsuit filed by Round Hill Music regarding AI training. More info on Billboard. Suno is Musixmatch’s first client for its digital fingerprinting and detection technology. More info on Music Ally. Suno is the subject of a proposed class-action lawsuit following a data breach. More info on Complete Music Update. Suno used data from YouTube and Deezer to train its AI, as revealed by leaked code. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

TIDAL
TIDAL is cracking down on AI-generated music by blocking its monetization. More info on TechCrunch.

Triller
Triller has been ordered to pay more than $3.2 million to Merlin in a default judgment for failure to pay licensing royalties. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Twitch
Twitch is considering an opt-out system for training Amazon’s AI models. More info on Music Ally.

X/Twitter
Music publishers and X, Elon Musk’s platform, have settled their copyright lawsuit regarding songs streamed on social media. More info on Billboard.

YouTube
The number of YouTube Music subscribers surged by 45% last year alone in the United States. More info on Digital Music News. YouTube is doubling the number of viewing hours required for its partner program and tightening the payment criteria for Shorts. More info on Hypebot.

New Features

Apple Music
Apple Music announced that music generated by AI platforms will carry a “Made With AI” label. More info on Variety. Apple Music is strengthening its social aspect with a new “Friends” playlist. More info on Music Ally.

Clique
Industry leaders are launching Clique Apps to help artists connect with their fans. More info on Music Week.

Google
Google is adding new features to its AI tool, Flow Music Spaces. More info on Music Ally. Ticketmaster is launching an app connected to Google’s Gemini, just one day after the AI assistant surpassed the 1 billion monthly users milestone. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Instagram
Instagram will charge for access to AI. More info on Social Media Today. Instagram now allows users to replace the music in posts and carousels that have already been published. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is adding a button to report AI-generated slop. More info on TechCrunch.

Meta
Meta is adding labels for AI-generated ads. More info on Social Media Today.

Playlist Alert
The Playlist Alert service is shutting down five years after its launch. More info on Music Ally.

Qobuz
Qobuz is rolling out real-time synchronized lyrics for all its subscribers. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Spotify
Spotify is stepping up its push into AI with a music assistant inspired by ChatGPT. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify is expanding its presence in the music video space with a new chart and an artist promotion tool. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify is pushing back against AI-generated artists with the “AI Persona” label. More info on Variety. Spotify playlist curators now explain their choices to listeners and have their own public profiles. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify is adding the “Campaign Lift” metric to Discovery Mode to demonstrate its effectiveness. More info on Digital Music News.

Snapchat
Snapchat is rolling out the “Now Playing” feature with Spotify. More info on Music Week.

TikTok
TikTok is testing a “similarity detection” tool, available by registration, that allows U.S. creators to identify and report deepfakes featuring them. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

X/Twitter
X is launching a live streaming studio to simplify live broadcasts. More info on Social Media Today.

YouTube
YouTube is adding a practice mode for vertical live streams. More info on Social Media Today. YouTube has announced that users of its short-form video platform, Shorts, will soon be able to double the playback speed of videos. More info on Music Ally.

Have I missed something? You can find all the previous episodes here.
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