SAMPLED▌ FRONT AND CENTER
Monday, July 20, 2026
ASCAP vs BMI vs SESAC: Which PRO Should You Actually Join?
Every songwriter eventually hits the same wall: pick a performing rights organization. Here's the honest, no-jargon breakdown of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC — how they pay, what they cost, and who each one is really built for.
// also right now
BusinessHow to Build a Music Release Calendar That Actually Works
A practical, no-fluff guide to planning singles, EPs, and albums so your releases build momentum instead of burning you out.
UpskillFree Business Courses Every Creative Entrepreneur Should Take
A curated, evergreen list of genuinely free business courses for musicians, artists, designers, and independent creators — with direct links and no upsells.
// from the dispatch
Madonna skipped the streamers and put 'Confessions II' on YouTube — the album-as-platform play
After a Tribeca premiere on June 5, Madonna's new cinematic experience landed today as a free, exclusive on her YouTube channel — not Netflix, not Apple, not Disney. It's the clearest signal yet that artist channels are becoming the release window.
Ableton opens Live with an Extensions SDK and the DAW becomes a platform
Live 12.4.5's new JavaScript and TypeScript Extensions SDK lets producers script their own tools directly inside Ableton — the first time a major DAW has shipped a real browser-style extension model. Pair it with Live 12.3's built-in stem separation and Ableton has quietly redrawn the line between a music app and a platform.
The AI music reckoning hits a new phase: a session-musicians' union sues the majors, France weighs flipping the burden of proof, and the unsealing of Suno and Udio's "training number"
The American Federation of Musicians is suing UMG and Warner over their Suno and Udio settlements. A federal judge has unsealed Udio's training data. 227 rights organizations are pressing France to legally presume AI firms trained on their work. And Deezer says 70% of "unofficial" 2026 World Cup anthems on its platform are AI. The fight over generative music just got a lot more concrete.
Platform brief: SiriusXM lands on Tubi, iHeart books Vegas and your LG TV, Tidal hands Phoebe Bridgers a phone-free MSG for a dollar
A companion to last weekend's back-office piece — a Sunday brief on what the platforms themselves shipped, signed, and programmed the past two weeks, pulled directly from the SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, Deezer and Tidal press rooms.
The summer touring desk: a Chappelle arena run, a new Kansas City amphitheater, and Spotify quietly becomes a box office
A Sunday roundup of the live-business news that actually moved the week of June 1, drawn straight from the Live Nation and Ticketmaster newsrooms — five days that put a comedy heavyweight on sale, opened a 16,000-seat room outside Kansas City, and tied a Spotify listening history to a reserved ticket window.
ISRCs on demand, The MLC re-upped, and a São Paulo verdict on fake streams: a June 2026 brief on the music industry’s back office
Three recent press releases — from IFPI and SoundExchange, from The MLC, and from IFPI’s anti-fraud Operation Authêntica — together describe how recordings get identified, how songwriters get paid, and how courts are treating paid streaming manipulation in 2026.
Skrillex drops 'Thistle' with Blawan, Randomer and MC Dricka as the CONTRA era opens up
A surprise UK-techno linkup arrives ahead of a 2026 festival run that runs Primavera to Bonnaroo to Head Trip — and turns Berlin's Kraftwerk into his new home base.
Melanie Martinez maps the Main Idea Tour, a 2026 arena run for a dystopian new era
After "Disney Princess" and a globe-spanning Trilogy Tour, the alt-pop architect lines up 24 arena nights across North America and Europe.
Alex Warren announces 'Wildchild,' drops 'Passenger' as a summer opener
The Best New Artist of 2025 maps out his sophomore album for August 28 and serves the first single as a top-down anthem.