Joe Sparrow, Author at Music Ally

Understanding Latin America’s Music Market: Platforms, Fans, and Growth Opportunities

Joe Sparrow — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:59:36 +0000

By Randi Zimmerman, Content Specialist, Symphonic Latin America was one of the fastest-growing recorded music regions in 2024, with revenue up 22.5%. Today, the region continues to shape global pop, […]

The post is from Music Ally.

Short form videos on YouTube Shorts now take even less time to watch

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:45:00 +0000

If you thought we had reached the theoretical zero-point of how short a short-form piece of video content can reasonably get – or wondered how they can possibly get any shorter, well, now you may know the answer: short content can just be consumed quicker. YouTube announced that users of its short-form video platform Shorts will soon be able to double videos’ playback speed so that they can “absorb information more quickly or find your favorite part faster.”

GigLogic is a “gig intelligence platform” to help artists evaluate live gig income

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:15:00 +0000

Touring, as every artist knows, is a tough game. Uncertainty is high, margins are razor thin, and once an artist deducts piffling luxuries like, erm, accommodation and food from their income, tours often end in losses. It’s no wonder some bands are asking the 6 Music Dads to help wind up their cables after the show.

SoundCloud and Twitch team up for DJ performance series

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:45:00 +0000

Twitch and SoundCloud have linked up for SoundCloud Sessions, a 12-hour DJ marathon on Twitch taking place today, June 26, from 9AM – 9PM Pacific Time. Hosted on Soundcloud’s Twitch channel, it features sets from DJs whose fandom straddles the two partner platforms. But it’s not just these headliners who are taking part: anyone can join in.

Tuned Global partners with music prediction app FanLabel

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:15:00 +0000

It’s prediction market news week here on Music Ally, apparently – to catch up, try listening to The Price of Music from a couple of days ago – and in that episode, we wondered how the music business might best engage with prediction markets – which, remember, is a market that’s worth over half-billion dollars already this year.

Music Climate Pact partners with Deezer to publish sustainable music streaming tips

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Hey, have you noticed that it’s been a bit hot here in Europe recently? That, as exasperated climate scientists wearily remind us, is because of the climate emergency. As ever the general advice is: get everyone to make small positive changes, and progress will (slowly) happen. Music climate platform The Music Climate Pact (MCP), which was initiated by the UK label associations AIM and the BPI, has teamed up with Deezer to publish a “best practise guide on how all of us as music fans can reduce the impact our streaming has on the environment.”

Suno launches grants, mentorship and support for indie artists who use the platform

Joe Sparrow — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:14:44 +0000

Earlier this week, we reported on SZA’s fury with AI platforms like Suno, and the artists that collaborate with them. Her warning to other artists – all-caps tirade warning – was blunt: “DO NOT TRAIN AI [WITH] YOUR GENIUS,” as was her opinion on artists that support generative AI: “Your [sic] DISGUSTING and there’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY […] I hope u have the life u deserve.” We urge SZA to get off the fence and tell us how she really feels.

Reactional Music wins €2.5 million EIC grant to scale gaming “music monetisation layer”

Joe Sparrow — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:45:00 +0000

We’ve written about Stockholm-based Reactional Music a lot before, including a series of partnerships with industry rightsholders, and a $2m fundraising round. Their premise is a tantalising one: a platform that helps game developers not only add music to their games in a rights-compliant way, but to also make the game ‘react’ to that music in real-time.

Viberate now connects data to AI assistants for analysis

Joe Sparrow — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:13:00 +0000

Analytics firm Viberate has launched a new tool that allows users to connect their Vibrate data into their preferred AI assistant in order to use the data-sifting power of AI models to do advanced analysis of its database using natural language – like analysing artists, A&R, lineup suggestion, and so on. The firm has created a dedicated “MCP server”, which is essentially a standardised way for AI systems to connect with external services.

Music Technology UK relaunches FemTUK and aims to increase number of female founders

Joe Sparrow — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:45:00 +0000

Music Technology UK (MTUK), the trade association for the UK’s Music Tech sector, recently relaunched FemTUK, its community supporting female founders and aspiring founders in Music Tech. It’s now appointed Sarah Jones, who has previously worked at Songkick and the BBC, as FemTUK’s Chair. Her appointment arrives alongside some MTUK research data that FemTUK will be aiming to change: just 12.4% of UK music tech companies are female-led, compares to 16.3% across the broader tech sector and 18% for the UK economy overall. Within MTUK’s own membership the figure is slightly higher, at 14.6%.

Brian Eno, Coldplay, Massive Attack and others join over 200 artists calling for Fossil Fuel Treaty

Joe Sparrow — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:10:08 +0000

More than 200 artists, including musicians, actors, filmmakers, photographers and performers, have added their names to an open letter calling on world leaders to support a Fossil Fuel Treaty that would result in a global transition away from fossil fuels. Music artists who have signed the letter include Brian Eno, Coldplay, Massive Attack, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Ninja Tune’s Matt Black, and REM’s Michael Stipe, amongst others.

(Another) AI Roundup: indie artists react to YouTube AI claims; Facebook; ErosMusic Worlds; and Modulate

Joe Sparrow — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:26:06 +0000

We’re being flooded with AI news this week, so for the sake of our sanity, we’ve once again rounded it all up for you to digest in one crispy AI nugget:

Digital replicas, avatars, and NIL rights: is this the future of music?

By Gregor Pryor — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Guest column: Music Ally publishes guest columns voicing the opinions of notable authors, or advancing specific perspectives on important issues. These are chosen at the Editorial team’s discretion, are not paid-for, and do not necessarily reflect Music Ally’s own opinion. You can read our guest column policy here, and the guest column archive here.

Building a More Trusted Platform for Artists and Listeners

Joe Sparrow — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:47:27 +0000

In today’s music landscape, it’s more important than ever for artists to build real connections with their listeners. Artists want to represent themselves authentically, deepen their relationships with fans, and […]

The post is from Music Ally.

Country Profile – Poland 2026

Joe Sparrow — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:55:00 +0000

Poland’s music industry is in rude health – although exports remain problematic.