Music Business Worldwide

The latest music news from Music Business Worldwide, News, jobs and analysis for the global music industry and on artists new releases and where to get new mp3 songs.

1. ‘Michael’ becomes highest-grossing music biopic in history – overtaking ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with $911M+ at global box office

   Total comprises $358.6M domestically and $553.3M from international markets

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2. Lionel Richie files to trademark the sound of his voice, following Taylor Swift amid AI deepfake crackdown

   The four-time Grammy winner filed four applications, each covering audio of him saying a phrase drawn from his songs.

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3. Amy Mackie appointed Managing Director, Ticketing at TEG

   Amy Mackie will oversee ticketing strategy and operations across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK.

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4. The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour has grossed more than $440M in 2026 alone – on over 3M tickets sold

   The stadium tour has sold over 3 million tickets this year alone, making it the highest-grossing tour by a male solo artist, according to Live Nation

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5. KEY SONGS IN THE LIFE OF… Carletta Higginson

   Warner Music’s Chief Digital Officer rifles through the record collection of her life to pick the songs that have soundtracked her journey so far…

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6. From UMG’s €1B bond sale to Warner Music’s Sureel AI acquisition… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-up

   The biggest headlines from the past few days...

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7. Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman on rewarding superfans, breaking artists, and the business of festivals

   Kevin Lyman on the festival's past, present, and future, and the one thing he'd change about the music business.

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8. South Korean prosecutors decline to charge HYBE executives over Min Hee-jin’s criminal complaints (report)

   The complaints stemmed from a statement that HYBE issued in 2024, which alleged that Min had consulted a shaman on matters related to running ADOR.

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9. Francisco Partners exits its minority investment in Muse Group, owner of Audacity, Hal Leonard and Ultimate Guitar

   Muse Group remains majority owned and controlled by founder and CEO Eugeny Naidenov, alongside Mo Chahdi as Executive Chairman and COO.

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10. Napster’s ‘$3bn investor’ charged with fraud as US authorities say the money never existed

    A North Carolina man faces fraud charges for allegedly using a fake banking website and forged records to acquire hundreds of millions of Napster shares.

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