From Spotify and UMG’s landmark AI deal to Shamrock’s $813M elevate… it’s MBW’s Weekly Spherical-up

This week, Spotify and Common Music Group unveiled a licensing deal that can let followers create AI-powered covers and remixes of UMG songs, offered as a paid add-on to Spotify Premium.

In the meantime, Shamrock Capital, the agency that offered Taylor Swift again her masters final 12 months, closed a brand new $813 million content material rights fund.

Elsewhere, UMG and TikTok struck a recent multi-year licensing renewal, with expanded AI protections for artists and songwriters.

Additionally this week, Chord Music Companions’ John Chapman instructed an invite-only viewers at an business breakfast co-hosted by MBW and The Raine Group in London {that a} wall of insurance-sector capital is heading for music rights.

Plus, Spotify scrapped its Premium Lite tier in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE – chopping normal Premium costs to what Lite beforehand value.

Listed below are a number of the largest headlines from the previous few days…

1. SPOTIFY AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP STRIKE LANDMARK DEAL TO LET FANS CREATE AI COVERS AND REMIXES – AS A PAID PREMIUM ADD-ON

Spotify and Common Music Group introduced licensing agreements on Thursday (Might 21) that can let followers create AI-powered covers and remixes of songs from taking part artists and songwriters.

The brand new device will launch as a paid add-on for Spotify Premium subscribers, creating what the businesses described as a further income stream on high of current royalties.

The agreements span each recorded music and music publishing. All Spotify customers will have the ability to play the created tracks… (MBW)

2. AFTER SELLING TAYLOR SWIFT HER MASTERS, SHAMROCK CLOSES NEW $813M FUND – TARGETING RIGHTS INCLUDING MUSIC

Lower than a 12 months after promoting Taylor Swift again the grasp rights to her first six studio albums, Shamrock Capital has closed a brand new content material acquisition fund with whole capital commitments of USD $813 million.

The car – Shamrock Capital Content material Fund IV – will goal leisure rights together with music, movie, tv, sports activities, video video games, and creator economic system alternatives. Content material IV was oversubscribed at first shut and accomplished its fundraise in simply over three months, exceeding its $700 million goal… (MBW)

3. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP AND TIKTOK STRIKE NEW MULTI-YEAR LICENSING DEAL — WITH EXPANDED AI PROTECTIONS FOR ARTISTS AND SONGWRITERS

Common Music Group and TikTok have struck a brand new multi-year world licensing deal. The settlement retains UMG‘s recorded music and publishing catalogs out there to TikTok‘s world neighborhood, whereas increasing industrial and inventive alternatives for Common’s artists and songwriters.

It builds on the “multi-dimensional partnership” struck between the 2 firms in Might 2024 – a deal that ended a months-long licensing standoff between UMG and TikTok….. (MBW)

4. CHORD MUSIC PARTNERS’ JOHN CHAPMAN ON THE NEXT WAVE OF CAPITAL HEADING FOR MUSIC RIGHTS

John Chapman, who manages the household workplace behind Chord Music Companions, has voiced robust optimism for the long run worth of premium music catalogs – pointing to a seismic shift pushed by a brand new supply of capital: the insurance coverage sector.

“No one understands how a lot insurance coverage cash is coming this fashion,” Chapman mentioned on Tuesday (Might 19) at an invite-only business breakfast co-hosted by MBW and The Raine Group at London’s Charlotte Avenue Resort. Chord has hardly ever spoken publicly since rising as one of many world’s largest unbiased music rights platforms, making Chapman‘s remarks among the many most detailed the agency has supplied on its technique… (MBW)

5. SPOTIFY SCRAPS NEW ‘PREMIUM LITE’ TIER IN INDIA, INDONESIA, SAUDI ARABIA, UAE, AND SOUTH AFRICA – WHILE SLASHING STANDARD PREMIUM PRICES

Spotify has discontinued its Premium Lite subscription tier throughout all 5 markets the place it launched the product in November 2025. The transfer impacts not simply India – the place the change was flagged earlier – but additionally Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE.

In every market, Spotify has minimize its Premium Commonplace worth to the extent beforehand charged for Premium Lite, successfully giving subscribers the complete Commonplace function set on the outdated Lite worth… (MBW)