The biggest music industry news | May 2025
Big payouts, new policies, and platform power plays. From SoundCloud’s AI backlash to Spotify’s discovery tools and YouTube’s global milestones.
Snapchat renews global music deal with NMPA
Snapchat has extended its licensing agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), ensuring continued access to licensed music across its app. The deal is a win for songwriters and rightsholders, securing fair compensation for music used on the platform.
SoundCloud generates – then responds to – AI backlash
SoundCloud faced backlash over concerns it was using artists’ music to train AI. The platform updated its terms to clarify that creators can opt out of AI training by removing their music — though many users still want clearer policies on how their content is used. This came at a time of heated debate around the training of AI on copyrighted music, and what artists’ rights are and should be.
UK artists earn over $1 billion on Spotify in 2024
Spotify reported that British artists collectively earned more than $1 billion in 2024. The milestone highlights both the global reach of UK talent and the growing role of streaming income – despite ongoing concerns around fair payouts.
YouTube reaches over 125 million subscribers
YouTube announced it now has over 125 million paid Music and Premium subscribers, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. This is a major landmark for the company, whose goal is to become the number one contributor of revenue to the industry.
YouTube content ID pays out $12 billion to rightsholders
YouTube’s Content ID system has paid rightsholders a total of $12 billion to date, as revealed in the platform’s ‘Copyright Transparency Report’. The platform says this shows its commitment to protecting creators and ensuring monetisation across user-generated content – a major revenue stream for music rights holders.
US House passes Ticket Act… again
The US House of Representatives has passed the Ticket Act, aimed at increasing transparency in live event ticket sales. If signed into law, it would require clearer pricing and crack down on hidden fees – a move welcomed by both artists and fans. This is the second time this act has been passed, although the first time round a change in administration put a stopper on its progress.
Spotify adds new discovery and playlist tools
Spotify introduced new features to give users more control over music discovery and playlists. The updates include smarter personalisation tools and deeper algorithm customisation – helping listeners find more of what they love and artists reach new fans.
YouTube settles with South Korea over bundling concerns
YouTube reached an agreement with South Korean regulators after an investigation into its music bundling practices. The resolution clears the way for fairer competition and could reshape how subscription services are offered globally. Part of this resolution is a plan to introduce its more affordable Premium Lite subscription available in South Korea, which provides ad-free viewing, but does not include ad-free YouTube Music.
YouTube continues to dominate TV viewing in the US
YouTube has once again topped Nielsen’s TV viewing charts, outperforming streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+. It’s the third month in a row that YouTube has held the number one spot, reflecting its massive reach and shifting viewer habits as more people watch short and long-form content on connected TVs.