Your daily drop April 15th
🎶 Music Industry Highlights
ASCAP & BMI Respond to Licensing Scrutiny
The U.S. Copyright Office is reviewing PRO models, and ASCAP and BMI have pushed back with detailed defenses of their licensing structures, citing their importance to songwriter earnings.
👉 Read on Music Ally
Midnight Oil Drummer Rob Hirst Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Rob Hirst, the heartbeat behind Midnight Oil, has publicly shared his battle with stage-three pancreatic cancer — raising awareness while celebrating resilience.
👉 The Australian feature
Spring Masked Ball Festival Abruptly Canceled
The UK’s Spring Masked Ball was set to return after a six-year hiatus but was canceled days before showtime due to poor ticket sales and financial setbacks.
👉 Coverage from The Scottish Sun
💻 Tech & Innovation
Yamaha Launches $50M Music Tech Investment Fund
Yamaha’s new venture capital arm will back startups innovating in instruments, pro audio, music education, and creative tech — signaling big moves in next-gen music gear.
👉 Details from Yamaha
Music Licensing Inc. Proposes Radical Reform
Challenging traditional PROs, Music Licensing Inc. and Pro Music Rights have called for a fixed-rate, transparent system to reshape how artists earn from performance rights.
👉 GlobeNewswire press release
Spotify Refutes Premium Ad Rumors
After rumors swirled last week, Spotify has officially denied any plans to introduce ads to its Premium tier. For now, subscribers can relax.
👉 Music Ally report
🎮 Gaming x Music
‘Game Over – A Musical RPG??’ Launches on Steam
A solo indie dev dropped one of the most charming musical RPGs in recent memory — think rhythm-based combat meets existential humor and immersive storytelling.
👉 Game info on RPGamer
Music-Driven Games On the Rise
From Game Over to Hi-Fi Rush, developers are blending beatmaps with narrative arcs — turning gameplay into soundtracks and vice versa.
👉 [Industry trend analysis coming soon]
Indie Devs Use Music to Drive Emotional Narrative
Sound design and interactive scoring are becoming signature elements for indie game studios, driving deeper player immersion through emotionally adaptive music.
👉 [Spotlight on innovation — stay tuned]
📺 Streaming News
Spotify Unveils New 'Music Pro' Tier
Spotify is testing a $6/month add-on tier offering HiFi audio, advanced remix tools, and early ticket access — aimed at creators and power users alike.
👉 Feature via RouteNote
YouTube Rolls Out AI Music Creation Tools
YouTube now lets creators auto-generate beats using text prompts in Shorts. Copyright-free music, AI-composed in seconds. Big implications ahead.
👉 MusicRadar coverage
Amazon Music Faces Artist Lawsuit Over Alleged Metadata Suppression
Marc Mysterio sues Amazon Music, alleging his catalog was shadowbanned through algorithmic filtering. If true, it could reshape how we talk about streaming transparency.
👉 Full story via GlobeNewswire
YouTube May Unbundle Premium and Music in South Korea
To meet antitrust demands, YouTube is considering a “Premium Lite” plan that excludes YouTube Music — marking a potential global shift in bundled streaming models.
👉 JoongAng Daily report