Cult Texas experimental/psychedelic/noise-rock legends The Butthole Surfers released After The Astronaut, their first new studio album in over a decade (and a long-awaited follow-up in their discography), today via indie channels (white LP & CD variants noted). The project continues the band’s signature irreverent, boundary-pushing sound. It lands on a crowded New Music Friday alongside…
English rock trio Muse released their 10th studio album, The Wow! Signal, today via Warner Records. The 10-track, ~45-minute project (thematic focus: cosmic mystery/extraterrestrial signals) follows strong pre-release momentum from singles like “Unravelling,” “Be with You,” “Cryogen,” “Hexagons,” “Nightshift Superstar,” and “Hush.” Early critical reception is largely positive, with many calling it their strongest work…
Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia has acquired the Sound Pollution Songs Catalog. The transaction was announced on or around June 24, 2026. The deal is part of ongoing catalog consolidation across Scandinavia and Europe.
BMG has acquired the publishing catalog of Chris Cheney, frontman, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Australian rock band The Living End. The deal expands BMG’s existing long-term relationship with Cheney, who has been signed to the company as a global publisher since 2016 (with The Living End on BMG as a global label since 2018)….
TikTok’s Add to Music App (AMA) tool has now topped 6 billion track saves to premium streaming services over the past 12 months (April 2025–April 2026). Integrations are live across seven major platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Tidal, and Deezer. The one-tap feature lets users save tracks discovered on TikTok directly…
Long Island-based hip-hop/R&B artist and Fortis Sterra founder Rob Wellz has secured global distribution and marketing through The Orchard (Sony Music) via EvoMusic. The deal brings Wellz’s full catalog and upcoming releases under The Orchard’s infrastructure while establishing his imprint, Fortis Sterra Unbounded, as a new label under the EvoMusic umbrella. Wellz retains independent ownership…
Spotify rolled out editor-led short-form video recommendations directly inside its flagship New Music Friday playlist for U.S. listeners on June 12. Curators now appear alongside track picks with video context explaining their selections, spotlighting emerging artists, and sharing stories behind the songs. The update integrates content from The Drop Weekly (launched September 2025) into New…
June 15, 2026 — One of the clearer independent velocity anomalies this weekend is queer alt-pop artist VANÈS and her track “STARFUCK,” which has surpassed 11 million streams while operating fully independently. Key Delta Observations Insider Implications For A&R teams and catalog scouts, this type of independent velocity is a high-signal indicator. Tracks achieving 10M+…
Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love delivered one of the biggest opening days of 2026 on Spotify. The 13-track project, released June 12 via Geffen Records, racked up approximately 81.6–82.6 million global streams in its first full day, according to Spotify and industry tracking. This marks…
TL;DR — Rick Beato’s video Why Only Rich Kids Make It In Music Today is mostly correct about the structural barriers facing musicians in 2026. These include production costs, gatekeeping, social-media labor, and streaming economics that punish anyone without a runway. But the conclusion he implies (that talent without trust funds is doomed) falls apart…