Deezer Says AI Tracks Top 50% of Uploads, Sony Sues Udio Again, Apple Music Raises Prices

How The Music Business Works - Issue #71

July 23, 2026

This week’s issue starts with the pressure AI is putting on streaming platforms and copyright enforcement. Deezer says AI-generated music now makes up more than half of new uploads to its service, while Sony Music has filed a second lawsuit against Udio over more than 30,000 recordings it says were copied without permission for AI training.

Streaming economics are also back in focus. Apple Music has raised subscription prices worldwide, citing rising licensing costs, while music publishers and X have ended their long-running legal fight without publicly confirming whether a licensing deal is now in place.

We’re also looking at Spotify’s latest push into music videos, as the platform builds more tools for artists to upload, pitch, playlist, and chart video content.

Here’s what’s moving this week.

AI-generated tracks now account for more than 50% of Deezer’s uploads

Deezer says AI-generated music now accounts for more than 50% of new tracks uploaded to the streaming service, averaging 90,000 AI-generated uploads per day in June. The company says it will now systematically remove AI tracks used for streaming fraud, as well as AI tracks that have not been streamed for at least six months. CEO Alexis Lanternier framed the move as part of Deezer’s wider effort to reduce fraud and payment dilution linked to AI music. The announcement also points to unresolved industry questions: whether AI-generated music should be accepted, labeled, recommended, playlisted, or monetized, and how platforms should distinguish AI-generated tracks from AI-assisted work. Deezer has promoted its own AI detection technology, but the article notes that detection remains an arms race as AI tools evolve and uploaders seek ways to avoid being identified. It also wants broader shared standards across the industry.

Sony Music files new Udio lawsuit over 30,000+ recordings

Sony Music Entertainment has filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit against Udio, asserting 30,117 sound recordings it says the AI music platform copied without permission to train its generative models. The new complaint was filed July 20 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York after the same court denied Sony’s request to add those recordings to its existing Udio case. Sony says discovery in the original litigation allowed it to inspect Udio’s training data and identify matches using audio fingerprinting. The new lawsuit also alleges that Udio obtained many recordings by stream-ripping them from YouTube using YT-DLP. Udio has argued that its use of copyrighted music is fair use. Sony is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work, plus damages tied to alleged circumvention of technological protections and an injunction. The complaint frames licensing deals by other rightsholders as evidence that permission matters.

Apple Music hikes subscription prices citing rising licensing costs

Apple Music has raised subscription prices worldwide, citing rising licensing costs. In the US, the Individual plan increased from $10.99 to $11.99 per month, the Family plan from $16.99 to $19.99, and the Student plan from $5.99 to $6.99. The new pricing took effect July 17 and marks Apple Music’s first price increase since October 2022. UK and European prices have also increased, with the Individual plan rising to £11.99 in the UK and €11.99 in Europe. Apple said the price change was “as a result of rising licensing costs,” echoing the explanation it gave during its 2022 increase. The move follows Spotify’s own price increases in the US and other markets earlier this year. Major labels have long argued that music streaming has remained underpriced compared with other subscription entertainment services, including video platforms. The global subscription market is also approaching one billion paying users.

Music publishers and X end legal war

Music publishers and Elon Musk’s X have ended their legal dispute over music licensing, filing joint stipulations of dismissal in two federal courts on July 16. The publishers’ copyright infringement lawsuit against X was dismissed in Tennessee, while X’s antitrust lawsuit against the publishers and the NMPA was dismissed in Texas. Both dismissals were with prejudice, meaning the claims cannot be refiled. The filings do not disclose settlement terms or confirm whether X has agreed to license music from publishers. The original publisher lawsuit was filed in 2023 by 17 publishers coordinated by the NMPA, seeking more than $250 million over alleged infringement of roughly 1,700 works. X later accused the publishers and NMPA of colluding to force industrywide licenses at allegedly inflated rates. Rivals including Meta, YouTube, and TikTok license music from publishers, while X has not disclosed a licensing deal. That leaves the licensing question unresolved publicly.

Spotify expands music videos into fuller artist ecosystem

Spotify has launched what it calls a fuller video ecosystem for artists, adding a music-video pitching tool and its first global chart dedicated to music videos. The move follows Spotify’s June expansion of direct uploads for covers, studio sessions, live performances, and music videos, a beta feature currently available to nearly 100,000 artists. Artists can now pitch music videos to Spotify’s editorial team if the videos are unreleased or were released within the past seven days. Spotify is also offering more than 100 video playlists globally, including Today’s Top Videos and Best New Videos. Its new Music Video Charts - Global ranking is based on play volume and launched with strong K-pop representation, including several BTS placements in the top 10. The rollout shows Spotify moving further beyond audio and short Canvas clips into a more YouTube-adjacent music-video strategy. It also raises fresh questions about video discovery on a platform built around listening.

Random Ramblings:

• The FIFA World Cup Final became the most-watched soccer match in US history, though not quite Super Bowl territory.
• Hybrid genres are redrawing the music map, one impossible-to-label track at a time.
• Apple Music is adding a new Friends playlist, because discovery is getting more social again.
• CD sales are up in the first half of 2026, with collectors doing plenty of the work.