Streaming round-up – February 2026

by IDOL
News
25.02.26
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly round-up. This month: a powerhouse partnership between TikTok and Apple Music, Deezer's AI detection tool hits the market, and Spotify expands its lyrics features.

The figure of the month: 14. According to Chartmetric, that’s the number of times faster a track reaches 1 billion streams on Spotify today, compared to ten years ago. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Economy

Amazon Music
Amazon Music is raising its subscription prices in the US and UK. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Apple Music
Apple Music broke its revenue record in the final quarter of 2025. More info on Music Ally. Apple Music says it flagged around two billion fake streams in 2025, and is doubling penalties for alleged fraud. More info on Digital Music News. Apple acquired Q.ai, an audio AI startup. More info on Digital Music News. Apple is reviving the Apple Music Connect name, this time for a B2B promotional platform for labels and distributors. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Deezer
Deezer is opening its AI-generated music detection tool to other platforms. More info on The Verge.

Even
Universal Music strikes a deal with superfan app EVEN to power D2C sales for artists worldwide. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Napster
Napster rolls out AI music creation in its latest app redesign. More info on Digital Music News.

Spotify
Spotify’s revenue exceeds $5 billion thanks to a 10% jump in subscribers. More info on Billboard. Spotify says it paid out over $11 billion to the music industry in 2025. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify to open Istanbul office to manage MENA and Turkey. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify has entered into a new partnership with ticketing platform SeatGeek. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify says its technology that allows fans to make remixes and covers is ready. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Tidal
Tidal expands its “Spotlight” program to Canada, the UK, and Europe. More info on Music Ally.

YouTube
YouTube subscriptions are now generating around $20 billion a year. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Music now accounts for a third of viewing time on the platform. More info on Music Ally.

New Features

Apple Music
Apple Music is launching the “Playlist Playground” feature, which generates playlists from an AI prompt or a selection of at least 10 different songs. More info on Music Ally.

Deezer
Deezer is launching ‘Flow Tuner’ to give users more control over algorithmic playlists. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Google
Google is adding the AI-generated music model, Lyria 3, to its Gemini app. More info on Music Ally.

Meta
Meta is shutting down its Messenger website. More info on Social Media Today.

Spotify
Spotify is rolling out Group Chats, for sharing podcasts, playlists, and audiobooks with groups of up to 10 people. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify is launching its AI-generated playlists in the UK and other markets. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify is replacing its iconic blue “Verified Artist” checkmark with a new “Spotify Registered Artist” label. More info on Hypebot. Spotify is upgrading its lyrics feature with offline access and more translations. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify’s “About the Song” offers context and anecdotes about your favorite tracks. More info on The Verge.

TikTok
TikTok is testing the ability for users to listen to full songs via Apple Music without leaving the app. More info on Music Business Worldwide. TikTok Shop is rolling out new tools, including expanded chatbot access. More info on Social Media Today.

YouTube
YouTube is rolling out an AI playlist generator for Premium users. More info on TechCrunch.

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