Topic
BMG and Concord completed their combination on 1 Sep 2026, creating a company with more than four million works, $2.2 billion in pro forma revenue and a target to grow profit far faster than sales. For artists and songwriters, scale may bring investment, but it also removes one of the few large buyers that wasn't a major.
Industryvia BMG
Japan's recorded music market grew to an estimated ¥196.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up 4%, and streaming made up 46% of it. CDs fell 11% to ¥72.0 billion and vinyl rose 42%, but physical formats together still slightly outsold digital. For international indies, Japan remains the one big market where the plastic you press can matter as much as the playlist you land on.
Industryvia Recording Industry Association of Japan (via PR TIMES)
Kenya's High Court has barred the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) from collecting royalties while it appeals the regulator's refusal to license it, weeks after another society, KAMP, had its licence suspended, and days before the regulator dissolved KAMP's board. Collection now runs through one licensed society, and some of the money is frozen. A draft copyright bill would change how a suspension like this works.
Artist rightsvia Kenya Copyright Board (copy hosted by EIFL)
SoundCloud has added two tools for an artist's core fans in 2026, follower-only releases and a US beta of direct track sales on which it takes no commission. Against Bandcamp's published 15% digital fee, the sales offer looks strong, but SoundCloud hasn't yet said what the "fees" it deducts add up to, and the tools sit behind a paid Artist Pro plan.
Industryvia SoundCloud
Universal, Sony and Warner all took equity in Stability AI's $76M Series B on 25 Aug 2026. The labels are now licensors, development partners and shareholders of the same AI company, and none of the announcements says how artists share in any of those roles.
Industryvia Stability AI
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