Label services platform for artists FreshTunes is rolling out a new option for royalty payments worldwide, allowing artists anywhere in the world to receive royalty payouts directly to their Visa or Mastercard bank cards. The service will be operational in Q1 2026 and will be available worldwide at rollout. FreshTunes artists will be able to turn on direct-to-bank-card payments from their FreshTunes account. "This will mean faster, easier payments for music makers in North and South America, Afr...

Universal Music Group and tech company NVIDIA are collaborating "to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement." The new partnership will leverage NVIDIA's AI infrastructure and UMG’s music catalogue "to enrich and enhance the music experience" of music consumers worldwide. NVIDIA and UMG will engage in collaborative research and development "to promote shared objectives of advancing human music creation and rights holder compensation." The ambition of this partnership...

Universal Music Group (UMG) and immersive gaming and creation platform Roblox have signed a new strategic agreement that will see the companies collaborating "to enhance music and commercial integrations across artist and fan experiences." The two companies said they will work closely "to streamline artist and label engagement within the platform," providing direct creative and operational support and access to new Roblox tools and beta features. More specifically, the deal includes the integrat...