Industry Reports — Artispreneur Media

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

‘Michael’ Global Box Office Receipts Surge Past $700 Million, Closing In on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Michael is back on top at the domestic box office with a cool $26 million in its fourth weekend, and a staggering $700 million worldwide. In its fourth week, Michael is back in the top slot at the domestic box office with an impressive $26 million in its fourth weekend. It has outpaced The Devil […]

$700 Million

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/15/2026

After Blowing Off the Lawsuit, Jermaine Jackson Ordered to Pay $6.5 Million to Rape Accuser

Jermaine Jackson was ordered to pay $6.5 million after failing to respond to a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused him of rape in a 1988 incident. Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay over $6.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape, after he failed to respond to her lawsuit concerning […]

$6.5 Million

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/15/2026

Meta Hits Back Against Wixen Music Publishing’s $70 Million ‘AI Replacement’ Infringement Suit

The high-stakes Wixen v. Meta infringement and defamation legal battle isn’t letting up. Now, the publisher is prepping an amended action as the Instagram parent aggressively moves to dismiss the entire complaint. As first reported by DMN, that $70 million complaint set sail in January, when Wixen accused Meta of infringing on “well over one […]

$70 Million

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/18/2026

Drake’s three new albums break records on streaming services

You have to hand it to Drake. Having spent the last year stoking fans’ anticipation with teasers for his new ‘Iceman’ project, he pulled a switcheroo by releasing three new albums on Friday (15 May). ‘Iceman’ is one of the three: 18 tracks of new music as expected. But it was accompanied by the 14-track ‘Maid of […]

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/19/2026

Sarasota Orchestra Receives a Mysterious $12 Million Donation

Sarasota Orchestra announces a near-$12 million donation from an anonymous donor, furthering its vision for a Music Center. On Monday, the Sarasota Orchestra took an unexpected step toward its vision for a Music Center, thanks to an $11.7 million investment from an anonymous donor. The Orchestra also released new architectural renderings that offer a closer […]

$12 Million

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

George Clinton Sues UMG for Allegedly ‘Withholding Royalties in Excess of $1.1 Million’ Under 1980 Agreement

Parliament and Funkadelic frontman George Clinton has fired off a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) for allegedly withholding $1.1 million in royalties “without contractual justification” across a multi-year stretch. Clinton just recently submitted the breach of contract action to a Michigan federal court, naming UMG as the lone defendant. While the 20-page complaint isn’t […]

$1.1 Million

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

‘Michael’ Takes Korea as Global Box Office Surges

The Michael Jackson biopic has moonwalked to #1 at the South Korean box office over the weekend, with over 51% of the weekend market share. Michael easily claimed the top spot at the South Korean box office over the weekend, earning $3.6 million from 470,375 admissions, earning 51.03% of the weekend market share. The film […]

$3.6 million51%

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

Shakira Acquitted In High-Stakes $64 Million Spanish Tax Fraud Case

A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case dating back to 2011, ordering the government to return over $64 million in wrongly imposed fines. On Monday, court documents revealed that a Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case that stems back to the 2011 tax year. As a result, the government […]

$64 Million

DATA REPORTMusic Business Worldwide5/18/2026

As ABS deals reshape the music rights landscape, KBRA says it’s rated $12.9B in music royalty-backed bonds since 2020 – but expects issuance to fall 25% in 2026

The music ABS market has more than tripled in size in just three years, says new KBRA report <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/as-abs-deals-reshape-the-music-rights-landscape-kbra-says-its-rated-12-9b-in-music-royalty-backed-bonds-since-2020-but-expects-issuance-to-fall-25-in-2026/" rel="nofollow">Source</a>

25%

INDUSTRYVariety Music5/18/2026

Shakira Acquitted of Tax Fraud in Spain, Will Be Reimbursed $64 Million: Singer Says She’s Spent Eight Years ‘Enduring Campaigns to Destroy My Reputation’

After an eight-year court battle, a Spanish court has ordered the country’s treasury to refund nearly $65 million to singer Shakira after ruling that the money was improperly collected. The country’s high court has acquitted the Colombian singer of tax fraud and ordered the treasury to repay the money to her, with interest. In the […]

$64 Million

INDUSTRYVariety Music5/18/2026

Broadway’s Bobby Darin Musical ‘Just In Time’ Recoups $12.5 Million Investment

“Just In Time,” a biographical jukebox musical about the performer Bobby Darin, has recouped its entire production cost after just over a year on Broadway. The show, which earned a Tony nomination and plenty of raves for its star Jonathan Groff, was capitalized at $12.5 million. “Just In Time” is the first musical of the […]

$12.5 Million

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

James Dolan’s Sphere Secures a $1.7 Billion Investment for Abu Dhabi Expansion

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism will invest $1.7 billion in the construction phase of Sphere Abu Dhabi on Yas Island. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Sphere Entertainment have announced that Yas Island has been […]

$1.7 Billion

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/15/2026

Spotify scraps Premium Lite tier for India, scales back Standard plan prices

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1024%

DATA REPORTDigital Music News5/18/2026

Spotify Rolls Out Global Price Adjustments — Double-Digit Increases Hit Canada as Monthly Charges Decrease in India, Indonesia, and More

Spotify has once again adjusted its prices in several international markets, among them Canada (where subscribers are paying a bit more across the board) and India (where monthly charges have decreased). Spotify just recently informed the relevant subscribers of the recalibrations via email; local outlets then covered the changes, which the platform has yet to […]

INDUSTRYVariety Music5/18/2026

Spotify Says Disco-Ball Icon, Which Prompted Massive User Backlash, Will Go Away Next Week as Planned

Haterade rained down on Spotify’s 20th birthday party celebratory disco-ball icon. The streamer acknowledged the backlash and said the old 2D logo will return to users’ phones next week as previously planned under the temporary icon switch-out. Without warning, Spotify last week debuted the glowing green mirrorball icon for its mobile app for Apple’s iOS. […]

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/18/2026

Spotify retires Viral Charts… but ‘Viral Hits’ playlist lives on

Have you seen who’s top of Spotify’s ‘Viral 50’ chart today? That’s a trick question: you can’t. The streaming service has discontinued its charts of trending tracks, which existed in both global and country-specific versions. Why? “Spotify has retired its viral charts as part of an ongoing effort to focus on features that best reflect […]

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/15/2026

AI music-videos startup Sondo AI says it has 10m global users

We’re new to ‘AI music video generator’ Sondo AI, but it seems plenty of other people aren’t. The startups say that it has “surpassed 10 million global users” already. There’s another metric in its announcement that provides some context for that: its community has “generated more than 15 million music videos on the platform over the past year”. […]

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/14/2026

Hybe India partners with Snapchat for girl group hunt’s online auditions

<figure><img width="1024" height="684" src="https://i0.wp.com/musically.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Hybe-India-Audition-poster.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/musically.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Hybe-India-Audition-poster.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/musically.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Hybe-India-Audition-poster.jpg?resize=500%2C334&ssl=1 500w, https://i0.wp.c

1024%

DATA REPORTMusic Ally5/14/2026

Snap says 31% of 13-15 year-olds are using AI to be creative

Snap has published its latest piece of consumer research, and as ever, a lot of it is geared towards persuading brands that Snapchat is a brilliant app where they should absolutely be spending lots more money on ads please thank you. However, there are some interesting findings from the company’s survey of 3,987 13-15 year-olds and […]

31%