We are the music makers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/chappell-roan-shrine-benefit-labels-health-insurance Chappell Roan keeps paying for what she asked labels to pay for https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/chappell-roan-shrine-benefit-labels-health-insurance 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. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryartist-rightschappell-roanhealth-insurancelabels https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/afm-human-made-human-paid-srla-talks Human Made, Human Paid: the musicians' union takes AI to the bargaining table on 3 November https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/afm-human-made-human-paid-srla-talks 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. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-musiclaborsession-musicianslabels https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/warner-halley-records-artists-keep-masters Warner buys Halley Records, the label behind Oques Grasses. Who owns the masters is still unclear https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/warner-halley-records-artists-keep-masters 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. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrylabelsacquisitionsmasterswarner-musichalley-recordscatalan-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/umg-label-exec-exits-central-ai-data-team UMG pushes out top label bosses while it builds a central AI and data team https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/umg-label-exec-exits-central-ai-data-team 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. Thu, 15 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryumglabelsa-and-rdata https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/stability-ai-76m-round-all-three-majors All three majors now back Stability AI: what a $76M round says about AI music's power map https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/stability-ai-76m-round-all-three-majors 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. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryfundingai-musicstability-ailabels