The biggest music industry news | February 2026
Fraud streaming crackdown, artist development programmes, and Amazon price increases. Plus, new AI playlist features, Apple Music and TikTok team-up features, and a big year for ASCAP.
Spotify confirms new Istanbul office
Following tensions last year, Spotify is showing its commitment to supporting Türkiye’s music industry by opening its first office in Instanbul. The streaming platform has made it clear that Türkiye is now a priority market for them, after officials criticised the company for failing to respect national values. The Instanbul office is planned to open by the end of June 2026.
Apple Music cracks down on fraud streaming
Apple’s Vice President of Music Oliver Schusser spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing the extent of the company’s fight against fraud streaming. In 2025, Apple Music demonetised a whopping two billion fraudulent streams, although this actually only represents less than 0.5% of total listening. It’s still a big issue though, and Apple is also introducing new penalties to those caught engaging in fraudulent streaming activity.
Deezer Next programme returns for 2026
Deezer is bringing back Deezer Next for 2026 – an artist development programme that shines a spotlight on upcoming French-speaking artists. The three artists receiving support from Deezer this year are Timar, a rapper, RnBouyon artist, Fallon, and Normandy bedroom pop artist Heroe. These artists will enjoy increased in-app visibility, as well as features on editorial playlists.
Spotify adds three new lyrics features
Spotify recognises lyrics as an important part of the music consumption experience, and its three new lyric features clearly demonstrate this. Lyric translations has rolled out worldwide to Free and Premium users. Premium users can now view lyrics offline when listening to downloaded songs, and lyric previews now appear directly beneath the album artwork or the Canvas visual as the song plays on the Now Playing screen.
Amazon Music increases prices in US and UK
Hot on the heels of Spotify, Amazon Music has increased its subscription prices in the US and the UK. This is the second annual price increase in these markets for the platform, after it raised prices in February 2025. The non-Prime member individual plan has moved from $11.99 to $12.99 per month, while Prime members have gone from $10.99 to $11.99. Family plans have seen a rise of $20 per year, from $199 to $219.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Opalite’ music video breaks Spotify record
No stranger to smashing Spotify records, Taylor Swift has done it again with her single “Opalite” being the most-streamed music video in a single day on the platform. This result came after the video was launched exclusively on Spotify and Apple Music, following YouTube’s decision to withdraw from Billboard’s US Charts.
YouTube Music launches AI Playlist generator
Joining the likes of Spotify, Amazon and Deezer, YouTube Music has launched “AI Playlist”, and no prizes for guessing what this feature lets you do. Available to Premium subscribers, YouTube now lets you generate playlists by entering a descriptive text or voice prompt.
ASCAP reveals its biggest year for revenue and royalties
US performing rights organisation (PRO), ASCAP has revealed that 2025 was its stongest year for both revenue and royalty payouts. The organisation reportedly generated $1.945bn in revenue last year, marking a 6% increase on 2024. Alongside this, royalty payouts hit a record $1.76bn, distributed to its songwriter, composer, and publisher members.
TikTok and Apple Music team up for new TikTok features
TikTok wants to improve its on-platform music listening experience, and Apple is helping to achieve this. The two companies have teamed up to enable Apple Music subscribers to stream the entirety of songs they discover while using TikTok, without needing to exit the TikTik app. Both are also collaborating to bring a “Listening Party” feature to TikTok, letting aritsts and fans connect and chat in the app while jointly listening to a release.
Apple Music begins testing “Playlist Playground”
Another AI-generated playlist feature this month, this time from Apple Music. Spotted as part of the beta version of iOS 26.4, users can enter a text prompt and generate a 25 song playlist. Like Spotify’s Prompted Playlist feature, Apple’s Playlist Playground lets you alter and refine playlists once they have been generated. Currently, the iOS 24.6 beta is only with developers, but will likely become available as a public beta in the near future.