Topic
Chappell Roan's two Super Graphic Spectacular shows at LA's Shrine Auditorium on 21 and 22 October raise money for her Midwest Princess Project. Twenty months after she told labels at the Grammys to give developing artists a living wage and health insurance, artists are still the ones writing the cheques.
Industryvia Chappell Roan (official site)
The American Federation of Musicians wants consent, credit and pay for AI training written into its next contract with Universal, Sony, Warner and Hollywood Records, which covers major-label recordings in the US and Canada. Talks resume on 3 November, while the union's lawsuit over the labels' Suno and Udio deals waits for a ruling.
Industryvia American Federation of Musicians
Warner Music Spain has bought all of Halley Records, the Barcelona label behind Oques Grasses and Els Catarres. One outlet says Halley's licensing model leaves the masters with the artists, but no one else has confirmed it, and that question decides what Warner has actually bought.
Industryvia UK Competition and Markets Authority
Universal Music Group's final round of 2024-planned cost cuts removed the heads of Def Jam, Republic and Polydor and two senior Interscope Geffen A&M A&R executives, while UMG says it is "bringing in new skills and technology". UMG has not tied the cuts to AI, but the people it hired this year are data and machine-learning specialists, and that changes who speaks for an artist inside a major.
Industryvia Universal Music Group
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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