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Daily market recaps with key events, stock movements, and global influences
Türkiye probes Spotify for anti-competitive licensing, artist visibility, and offensive playlists targeting Islam.
SPOT closed at $728.20 on July 9, rebounding from recent lows
Türkiye opens probe into Spotify over alleged anti-competitive licensing and artist visibility practicesTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Investigation includes complaints about playlists deemed offensive to the president’s wife and IslamTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Turkish deputy minister calls for legal action against SpotifyTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Spotify faces new regulatory risk in Türkiye as authorities investigate both its licensing practices and content moderation. The probe, which includes allegations of anti-competitive behavior and culturally sensitive content, could result in fines or operational restrictions if authorities proceed.
While Türkiye is not a major revenue driver for Spotify, this investigation highlights the ongoing regulatory scrutiny faced by global digital platforms in emerging markets. For now, the market reaction has been limited, with SPOT shares recovering to $728.20.
Traders should monitor for updates from Turkish regulators and any company statements. Potential outcomes include increased compliance costs or content restrictions, which could serve as a reference point for other markets with similar concerns.
Türkiye probes Spotify for anti-competitive licensing, artist visibility, and offensive playlists targeting Islam.
SPOT closed at $728.20 on July 9, rebounding from recent lows
Türkiye opens probe into Spotify over alleged anti-competitive licensing and artist visibility practicesTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Investigation includes complaints about playlists deemed offensive to the president’s wife and IslamTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Turkish deputy minister calls for legal action against SpotifyTürkiye Probes Spotify for Anti-Competitive Licensing, Artist Visibility and Offensive Playlists Targeting President’s Wife and Islam
Spotify faces new regulatory risk in Türkiye as authorities investigate both its licensing practices and content moderation. The probe, which includes allegations of anti-competitive behavior and culturally sensitive content, could result in fines or operational restrictions if authorities proceed.
While Türkiye is not a major revenue driver for Spotify, this investigation highlights the ongoing regulatory scrutiny faced by global digital platforms in emerging markets. For now, the market reaction has been limited, with SPOT shares recovering to $728.20.
Traders should monitor for updates from Turkish regulators and any company statements. Potential outcomes include increased compliance costs or content restrictions, which could serve as a reference point for other markets with similar concerns.
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Alt-pop artist Ethel Cain issued a 2,000-word statement on 9 July acknowledging that a series of offensive social-media posts from 2017 and 2018 were genuine and "shameful." The resurfaced comments include her use of a racial slur, a "build that wall" quip aimed at Hispanic people, fat-shaming remarks and a photo in which she wears a hand-made T-shirt reading "LEGALIZE INCEST." Cain, who was 19 at the time of the posts, said she wrote them to appear "inflammatory and controversial" and apologized "from the bottom of my heart" to anyone offended.
The 26-year-old singer, born Hayden Anhedönia, also rebutted a raft of broader claims circulating online, rejecting allegations that her artwork constitutes child pornography, that she promoted sexual abuse of animals or fetishized kidnapping. She said some of her personal accounts were hacked, her family doxxed and her Spotify page vandalized, describing the episode as a "targeted smear campaign" driven in part by transphobia.
Cain added that her team is considering legal action over the hacking and harassment. The controversy arrives one month before the scheduled 8 Aug. release of her third studio album, "Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You."
55 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
An act calling itself The Velvet Sundown has acknowledged that its music, artwork and even band photographs are entirely produced with generative-AI tools, after the project drew more than 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify in just over a month. A revised biography posted to the group’s Spotify page between 5 and 8 July describes the venture as “an ongoing artistic provocation” that is “not quite human, not quite machine.”
Read more
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the most-streamed and most-played single in the United States, locking down a fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart dated July 12, 2025. The track continues to outpace Morgan & Tate, who hold at No. 2, and “Just in Case,” which rises to No. 3.
Activity elsewhere in the upper tier was brisk. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” vaults three places to No. 4, while Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” advances to No. 8. Sabrina Carpenter slips to No. 7, and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” re-enters the Top 10 after a multi-week absence.
The reshuffling highlights a competitive midsummer release cycle in which streaming-driven breakouts are jockeying with country-pop holdovers for chart dominance. Billboard compiles its flagship ranking from a blend of U.S. streaming, radio airplay and physical and digital sales data for the tracking week ending July 6.
4 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Singer and television personality Frankie Grande has announced a remix of his single “Hotel Rock Bottom” that features vocals from his sister, pop star Ariana Grande. Multiple announcements made on 7 July confirmed the collaboration and set the release for this Friday, 11 July.
The track marks the siblings’ first official recording together. Neither artist has disclosed further details about production credits or accompanying visuals, but the release will be available on major streaming platforms.
3 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Sombr has earned his first No. 1 on Spotify’s global chart after his single “back to friends” logged 5.161 million streams on 7 July. The performance marks the artist’s highest-ever daily tally and displaces previous leaders to top the platform’s worldwide ranking.
12 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Drake's latest single, "What Did I Miss?", has achieved the number one position on multiple music streaming platforms in the United States and globally. The song debuted at number one on the US Apple Music chart and has maintained the top spot for two consecutive days. It also reached number one on the US Spotify chart with 1.36 million streams on its first day and sustained the position on the second day with 1.22 million streams. Globally, the track debuted at number 15 on the Spotify chart with 2.81 million streams and topped the Apple Music Top 100 Global chart. This marks Drake's fourth number one on US Apple Music in 2025, with the song also reaching number one on Apple Music in 13 countries. Early projections indicate that "What Did I Miss?" is on track to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
13 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Türkiye's competition authority has initiated an investigation into Spotify, focusing on allegations of anti-competitive practices related to licensing terms and artist visibility in the streaming market. The probe also stems from complaints about 'provocative' playlists on the platform that are considered offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful to Islam. A deputy minister has called for legal action against Spotify over these playlists. Turkish authorities cite concerns over competition distortion and violations of religious values as grounds for the investigation. The case highlights tensions between regulatory scrutiny of digital platforms and cultural sensitivities in Türkiye.
4 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
U.S. Independence Day listening habits pushed several older patriotic pop anthems back up Spotify’s domestic chart on 4 July. Miley Cyrus’s 2009 single “Party in the U.S.A.” climbed 87 places to a record No. 3 with 1.379 million streams, a 203 percent surge that marks the first time the track has landed in the platform’s top three in the United States.
Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 classic “Born in the U.S.A.” re-entered the ranking at No. 2, drawing 1.473 million plays, while Katy Perry’s 2010 hit “Firework” returned at No. 13 on 950,000 streams. The spike underlines how holiday playlists continue to boost back-catalogue songs tied to national themes, offering legacy revenue bumps for artists long after initial release.
6 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Indian singer Arijit Singh has become the most followed artist on Spotify, surpassing global stars such as Taylor Swift, BTS, and Ed Sheeran. Arijit Singh currently has over 150 million followers on the music streaming platform, with some reports specifying 151 million followers. Another Indian musician, AR Rahman, also features in Spotify's top 20 list with 49 million followers. This marks a notable achievement for Indian artists on the global music streaming stage.
11 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Alex Warren and ROSÉ released the official music video for their collaborative single "On My Mind" on June 27, 2025. The song debuted at number one on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart, marking Alex Warren's second and ROSÉ's fourth number one on this chart. ROSÉ now holds the record as the female K-pop artist with the most number one hits in Worldwide iTunes history. On Spotify, "On My Mind" entered the US chart at number 98 with 438,000 streams and the Global chart at number 113 with approximately 1.49 million streams on its debut day.
It also debuted at number 37 on the UK charts, becoming Warren's fifth and ROSÉ's second top 40 hit there. Additionally, ROSÉ's collaboration with Bruno Mars, "APT.", remains a major hit, holding the number three position on the United World chart after 21 weeks at number one, making it the longest-running number one song of 2025 and the third longest in the chart's history. Meanwhile, Apple Music's Top 500 most streamed songs of all time list features multiple artists with notable rankings, including Drake who leads with 27 entries, and other artists such as Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna. Several songs by these artists rank within the top 500 streamed songs on Apple Music, reflecting their enduring popularity.
3 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
KATSEYE’s debut single “Gameboy” has continued to gain momentum on Spotify since its release late last week. The track entered the Global Spotify chart at No. 186 on 28 June with 1.25 million daily streams, while simultaneously opening at No. 109 on the U.S. chart with 424,000 plays.
In the days that followed, the song became the biggest gainer on the platform, jumping 75 places to No. 121 on 30 June. By 3 July, “Gameboy” had reached a new high of No. 106 on the Global Spotify ranking, recording 1.49 million streams in a single day, underscoring strong early demand for the group’s first release.
22 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
The Velvet Sundown, an AI-generated psych-rock band, has rapidly gained widespread attention by amassing over 750,000 monthly listeners on Spotify within about a month of its debut. The band’s music, lyrics, avatars, and overall appearance are entirely created by artificial intelligence. Its rise was fueled largely by playlist placements, some of which have been described as questionable. The band has released two albums and reportedly generated approximately $2,400 in revenue from streaming.
The Velvet Sundown’s emergence has sparked discussions about the authenticity of music in the streaming era and the increasing presence of AI-generated content on platforms like Spotify, where an estimated 10,000 AI tracks are uploaded daily. The band’s spokesperson was later revealed to be a fake identity managing fabricated social media accounts. This case highlights broader concerns about the impact of AI on the music industry and listener experience, as well as the challenges streaming services face in verifying artist authenticity.
86 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Australia has revoked the entry visa of U.S. rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after the musician released a song that praises Adolf Hitler, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday.
Burke told national broadcaster ABC that immigration officials reassessed Ye’s status following the 8 May release of “Heil Hitler,” concluding the artist “no longer has a valid visa.” “If you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia,” he added, noting, “We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”
Read more
Ye (formerly Kanye West) has had his Australian visa cancelled following the release of his song “Heil Hitler.” Australia’s Home Affairs Minister said the decision followed a review of Ye’s lyrics and history of antisemitic comments, stating: “We don’t need that in Australia."
Kanye West’s latest controversy leads to real consequences. After his "Heil Hitler" song, an official says Ye is now without a valid visa in Australia. Earlier this year, he claimed to be done with antisemitism. Read what happened:
#WATCH | Australia cancels Ye’s visa after backlash over his song “Heil Hitler,” citing promotion of Nazi ideology and public outrage. #KanyeWest #Visa #Australia #Hollywood (Video Source: Reuters)
Australia cancelled Kanye West's visa over his 'Heil Hitler' song
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says his country has stripped US rapper Kanye West of his visa, over bigotry expressed in his new song ‘Heil Hilter’ glorifying Nazism and Adolf Hilter.
8 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Cardi B released her new single "Outside" on June 20, 2025. The song debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her 13th top 10 hit on the chart. This achievement also made Cardi B the female rapper with the most solo top 10 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history, with three such entries. "Outside" is the first solo female rap song to debut in the top 10 since Cardi B's own "Enough (Miami)" over a year prior. Additionally, "Outside" has been selected as the official theme song for SummerSlam 2025, an event that Cardi B is also hosting.
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Indie rock group Deerhoof said on Monday it will pull its entire 20-album catalogue from Spotify in protest at the streaming service’s chief executive, Daniel Ek, after he led a nearly $700 million funding round for Helsing, a European start-up developing artificial-intelligence software for military aircraft and drones.
Ek’s venture vehicle, Prima Materia, first backed Helsing in 2021 and this month increased its stake by heading a €600 million Series D financing that also elevated him to chairman of the company. Deerhoof argued that the investment ties Spotify’s success to “AI battle tech,” adding in an open letter, “We don’t want our music killing people.”
The San Francisco-founded band said revenue from Spotify represents a minor share of its income and that its labels have begun the process of removing songs from the platform. The move adds to periodic artist pushback against the service, which has previously faced catalogue withdrawals from musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell over separate disputes.
Veteran indie band Deerhoof is removing its music from Spotify in the wake of CEO Daniel Ek investing in an AI company that creates military technology. "We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech."
Deerhoof are pulling their entire catalog from Spotify due to CEO Daniel Ek's involvement with an AI weapons company →
Deerhoof leaving Spotify after Daniel Ek AI battletech investment: "We don't want our music killing people"
Deerhoof to Pull Music From Spotify: ‘We Don’t Want Our Success Tied to AI Battle Tech’
.@Deerhoof are taking their music off of @Spotify
7 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Spotify has overhauled its flagship Discover Weekly playlist for the first time since its 2015 debut, marking the feature’s 10th anniversary with new genre-based controls. Premium subscribers can now select up to five genres—such as pop, R&B or K-pop—at the top of the 30-track playlist, allowing the platform’s recommendation engine to tailor Monday’s mix more precisely to individual tastes. The company said it intends to extend the option to more users after the initial rollout on mobile.
The streaming service disclosed that listeners have played more than 100 billion tracks through Discover Weekly, with 77 percent of those streams coming from emerging artists. Spotify framed the update as part of a broader push toward “hyper-personalisation,” following recent additions that let users preview queued recommendations, snooze overplayed songs for 30 days and experiment with an AI-powered DJ and text-to-playlist tools.
The latest tweak also addresses long-standing complaints about repetitive selections and inaccurate genre tagging in Discover Weekly. By giving listeners direct input, Spotify aims to keep the decade-old feature central to music discovery as competition among streaming platforms intensifies.
Spotify now allows users to choose their favorite musical genres, in direct response to criticism of the algorithm's effectiveness.
Spotify updates its Discover Weekly playlist after ten years, adding new genre filters for Premium users, and says users streamed 100B+ tracks via the playlist (@asilbwrites / TechCrunch)
Spotify will let users personalize the genre of Discover Weekly playlists
Spotify revamps its Discover Weekly playlist after ten years: by TechCrunch #infosec #cybersecurity #technology #news
By @ziks_99 - Spotify is celebrating the tenth birthday of Discover Weekly. To mark the occasion, it's giving Premium members more control over Discover Weekly playlists with genre options. #Spotify #DiscoverWeekly
9 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Kesha released a new single titled "THE ONE." on June 27, 2025, which quickly rose to number one on the US iTunes chart. It became the first solo female song to debut at number one on US iTunes in 2025 and marked Kesha's first number one single on the platform since "Timber" over 12 years ago. The song also achieved notable international success, ranking as the second highest new entry on the worldwide iTunes song chart at number nine and the fourth highest new entry on European iTunes at number 26. On its first day, "THE ONE." garnered 310,000 streams on Spotify.
Following the single's success, Kesha released a new album titled "." (Period) on July 4, 2025. The album, her first as an independent artist, quickly climbed the US iTunes charts, entering the top five and later the top three. Critical reception noted Kesha's exploration of pop experimentation and the album's alignment with the emerging hyperpop genre, characterized by a hedonistic and neon-hued style.
6 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Lorde's new album 'Virgin' achieved a strong debut on the global Spotify chart, accumulating 16 million streams in its first full day of release. The album's tracks have made a notable impact, with seven songs charting globally. The lead new entry, "Shapeshifter," debuted at number 30 with 2.469 million streams worldwide and 955,877 streams in the U.S. Other tracks from the album also charted, including "Hammer" at number 72 with 1.747 million streams, "What Was That" at number 86 with 1.665 million streams, "Favourite Daughter" at number 124 with 1.434 million streams, "Man Of The Year" at number 135 with 1.403 million streams, "Current Affairs" at number 138 with 1.391 million streams, and "Clearblue" at number 198 with 1.219 million streams. The album's performance highlights Lorde's continued presence on global streaming platforms.
5 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
KATSEYE's single "Gabriela" has achieved notable success on global and US Spotify charts following its release. It debuted at number 44 on the global Spotify chart with 2.066 million streams and at number 65 on the US Spotify chart with 491,000 streams. The track steadily climbed the global chart, reaching a new peak of number 10 with 3.219 million streams. On the US Spotify chart, "Gabriela" peaked at number 41 with 617,000 streams.
Additionally, "Gabriela" entered the UK Official Singles Chart's top 50 for the first time and debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. From KATSEYE's EP "Beautiful Chaos," three tracks charted on the global Spotify chart: "Gabriela" at number 10, "Gnarly" at number 50, and "Gameboy" at number 186. "Gameboy" also debuted at number 109 on the US Spotify chart with 424,000 streams and later rose to number 121 globally with 1.28 million streams. The EP accumulated a total of 6.49 million streams across its charting tracks. In related chart movements, TWICE's "Strategy" rose to number 150 on the global Spotify chart with 1.255 million streams, and PinkPantheress's "Illegal" peaked at number 141 with 1.287 million streams.
25 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
New Zealand singer Lorde has released her fourth studio album, 'Virgin,' marking her first album in nearly four years. The album, produced entirely by Lorde and Jim-E Stack with contributions from Dev Hynes, Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, and Dan Nigro, has been described as introspective, emotionally raw, and a departure from her previous acoustic style toward a more pulsing pop sound. Critics have generally praised 'Virgin' for its personal and revealing themes, with Rolling Stone awarding it four-and-a-half stars and highlighting it as Lorde's most introspective work to date. The album debuted with 16 million streams on Spotify in its first full day and charted seven tracks on the Global Spotify chart, with the single 'Shapeshifter' entering at number 30 with 2.469 million streams globally and 955,877 streams in the U.S.
Commercially, 'Virgin' debuted at number one on the UK albums chart, becoming Lorde's first number one album in the UK, and reached number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 71,000 equivalent album units sold, including 42,000 pure sales. It also marked her fourth consecutive top five studio album on the Billboard 200 and her fourth top 10 album overall. The album has sparked discussions about Lorde's evolving artistic identity and personal growth, touching on themes such as a breakup, an eating disorder, and expanding gender identity.
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Alt-pop artist Ethel Cain issued a 2,000-word statement on 9 July acknowledging that a series of offensive social-media posts from 2017 and 2018 were genuine and "shameful." The resurfaced comments include her use of a racial slur, a "build that wall" quip aimed at Hispanic people, fat-shaming remarks and a photo in which she wears a hand-made T-shirt reading "LEGALIZE INCEST." Cain, who was 19 at the time of the posts, said she wrote them to appear "inflammatory and controversial" and apologized "from the bottom of my heart" to anyone offended.
The 26-year-old singer, born Hayden Anhedönia, also rebutted a raft of broader claims circulating online, rejecting allegations that her artwork constitutes child pornography, that she promoted sexual abuse of animals or fetishized kidnapping. She said some of her personal accounts were hacked, her family doxxed and her Spotify page vandalized, describing the episode as a "targeted smear campaign" driven in part by transphobia.
Cain added that her team is considering legal action over the hacking and harassment. The controversy arrives one month before the scheduled 8 Aug. release of her third studio album, "Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You."
55 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
An act calling itself The Velvet Sundown has acknowledged that its music, artwork and even band photographs are entirely produced with generative-AI tools, after the project drew more than 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify in just over a month. A revised biography posted to the group’s Spotify page between 5 and 8 July describes the venture as “an ongoing artistic provocation” that is “not quite human, not quite machine.”
Read more
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the most-streamed and most-played single in the United States, locking down a fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart dated July 12, 2025. The track continues to outpace Morgan & Tate, who hold at No. 2, and “Just in Case,” which rises to No. 3.
Activity elsewhere in the upper tier was brisk. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” vaults three places to No. 4, while Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” advances to No. 8. Sabrina Carpenter slips to No. 7, and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” re-enters the Top 10 after a multi-week absence.
The reshuffling highlights a competitive midsummer release cycle in which streaming-driven breakouts are jockeying with country-pop holdovers for chart dominance. Billboard compiles its flagship ranking from a blend of U.S. streaming, radio airplay and physical and digital sales data for the tracking week ending July 6.
4 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Singer and television personality Frankie Grande has announced a remix of his single “Hotel Rock Bottom” that features vocals from his sister, pop star Ariana Grande. Multiple announcements made on 7 July confirmed the collaboration and set the release for this Friday, 11 July.
The track marks the siblings’ first official recording together. Neither artist has disclosed further details about production credits or accompanying visuals, but the release will be available on major streaming platforms.
3 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Sombr has earned his first No. 1 on Spotify’s global chart after his single “back to friends” logged 5.161 million streams on 7 July. The performance marks the artist’s highest-ever daily tally and displaces previous leaders to top the platform’s worldwide ranking.
12 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Drake's latest single, "What Did I Miss?", has achieved the number one position on multiple music streaming platforms in the United States and globally. The song debuted at number one on the US Apple Music chart and has maintained the top spot for two consecutive days. It also reached number one on the US Spotify chart with 1.36 million streams on its first day and sustained the position on the second day with 1.22 million streams. Globally, the track debuted at number 15 on the Spotify chart with 2.81 million streams and topped the Apple Music Top 100 Global chart. This marks Drake's fourth number one on US Apple Music in 2025, with the song also reaching number one on Apple Music in 13 countries. Early projections indicate that "What Did I Miss?" is on track to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
13 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Türkiye's competition authority has initiated an investigation into Spotify, focusing on allegations of anti-competitive practices related to licensing terms and artist visibility in the streaming market. The probe also stems from complaints about 'provocative' playlists on the platform that are considered offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful to Islam. A deputy minister has called for legal action against Spotify over these playlists. Turkish authorities cite concerns over competition distortion and violations of religious values as grounds for the investigation. The case highlights tensions between regulatory scrutiny of digital platforms and cultural sensitivities in Türkiye.
4 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
U.S. Independence Day listening habits pushed several older patriotic pop anthems back up Spotify’s domestic chart on 4 July. Miley Cyrus’s 2009 single “Party in the U.S.A.” climbed 87 places to a record No. 3 with 1.379 million streams, a 203 percent surge that marks the first time the track has landed in the platform’s top three in the United States.
Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 classic “Born in the U.S.A.” re-entered the ranking at No. 2, drawing 1.473 million plays, while Katy Perry’s 2010 hit “Firework” returned at No. 13 on 950,000 streams. The spike underlines how holiday playlists continue to boost back-catalogue songs tied to national themes, offering legacy revenue bumps for artists long after initial release.
6 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Indian singer Arijit Singh has become the most followed artist on Spotify, surpassing global stars such as Taylor Swift, BTS, and Ed Sheeran. Arijit Singh currently has over 150 million followers on the music streaming platform, with some reports specifying 151 million followers. Another Indian musician, AR Rahman, also features in Spotify's top 20 list with 49 million followers. This marks a notable achievement for Indian artists on the global music streaming stage.
11 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Alex Warren and ROSÉ released the official music video for their collaborative single "On My Mind" on June 27, 2025. The song debuted at number one on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart, marking Alex Warren's second and ROSÉ's fourth number one on this chart. ROSÉ now holds the record as the female K-pop artist with the most number one hits in Worldwide iTunes history. On Spotify, "On My Mind" entered the US chart at number 98 with 438,000 streams and the Global chart at number 113 with approximately 1.49 million streams on its debut day.
It also debuted at number 37 on the UK charts, becoming Warren's fifth and ROSÉ's second top 40 hit there. Additionally, ROSÉ's collaboration with Bruno Mars, "APT.", remains a major hit, holding the number three position on the United World chart after 21 weeks at number one, making it the longest-running number one song of 2025 and the third longest in the chart's history. Meanwhile, Apple Music's Top 500 most streamed songs of all time list features multiple artists with notable rankings, including Drake who leads with 27 entries, and other artists such as Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna. Several songs by these artists rank within the top 500 streamed songs on Apple Music, reflecting their enduring popularity.
3 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
KATSEYE’s debut single “Gameboy” has continued to gain momentum on Spotify since its release late last week. The track entered the Global Spotify chart at No. 186 on 28 June with 1.25 million daily streams, while simultaneously opening at No. 109 on the U.S. chart with 424,000 plays.
In the days that followed, the song became the biggest gainer on the platform, jumping 75 places to No. 121 on 30 June. By 3 July, “Gameboy” had reached a new high of No. 106 on the Global Spotify ranking, recording 1.49 million streams in a single day, underscoring strong early demand for the group’s first release.
22 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
The Velvet Sundown, an AI-generated psych-rock band, has rapidly gained widespread attention by amassing over 750,000 monthly listeners on Spotify within about a month of its debut. The band’s music, lyrics, avatars, and overall appearance are entirely created by artificial intelligence. Its rise was fueled largely by playlist placements, some of which have been described as questionable. The band has released two albums and reportedly generated approximately $2,400 in revenue from streaming.
The Velvet Sundown’s emergence has sparked discussions about the authenticity of music in the streaming era and the increasing presence of AI-generated content on platforms like Spotify, where an estimated 10,000 AI tracks are uploaded daily. The band’s spokesperson was later revealed to be a fake identity managing fabricated social media accounts. This case highlights broader concerns about the impact of AI on the music industry and listener experience, as well as the challenges streaming services face in verifying artist authenticity.
86 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Australia has revoked the entry visa of U.S. rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after the musician released a song that praises Adolf Hitler, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday.
Burke told national broadcaster ABC that immigration officials reassessed Ye’s status following the 8 May release of “Heil Hitler,” concluding the artist “no longer has a valid visa.” “If you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia,” he added, noting, “We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”
Read more
Ye (formerly Kanye West) has had his Australian visa cancelled following the release of his song “Heil Hitler.” Australia’s Home Affairs Minister said the decision followed a review of Ye’s lyrics and history of antisemitic comments, stating: “We don’t need that in Australia."
Kanye West’s latest controversy leads to real consequences. After his "Heil Hitler" song, an official says Ye is now without a valid visa in Australia. Earlier this year, he claimed to be done with antisemitism. Read what happened:
#WATCH | Australia cancels Ye’s visa after backlash over his song “Heil Hitler,” citing promotion of Nazi ideology and public outrage. #KanyeWest #Visa #Australia #Hollywood (Video Source: Reuters)
Australia cancelled Kanye West's visa over his 'Heil Hitler' song
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says his country has stripped US rapper Kanye West of his visa, over bigotry expressed in his new song ‘Heil Hilter’ glorifying Nazism and Adolf Hilter.
8 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
Published
Cardi B released her new single "Outside" on June 20, 2025. The song debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her 13th top 10 hit on the chart. This achievement also made Cardi B the female rapper with the most solo top 10 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history, with three such entries. "Outside" is the first solo female rap song to debut in the top 10 since Cardi B's own "Enough (Miami)" over a year prior. Additionally, "Outside" has been selected as the official theme song for SummerSlam 2025, an event that Cardi B is also hosting.
5 posts • OpenAI (o3)
Published
Indie rock group Deerhoof said on Monday it will pull its entire 20-album catalogue from Spotify in protest at the streaming service’s chief executive, Daniel Ek, after he led a nearly $700 million funding round for Helsing, a European start-up developing artificial-intelligence software for military aircraft and drones.
Ek’s venture vehicle, Prima Materia, first backed Helsing in 2021 and this month increased its stake by heading a €600 million Series D financing that also elevated him to chairman of the company. Deerhoof argued that the investment ties Spotify’s success to “AI battle tech,” adding in an open letter, “We don’t want our music killing people.”
The San Francisco-founded band said revenue from Spotify represents a minor share of its income and that its labels have begun the process of removing songs from the platform. The move adds to periodic artist pushback against the service, which has previously faced catalogue withdrawals from musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell over separate disputes.
Veteran indie band Deerhoof is removing its music from Spotify in the wake of CEO Daniel Ek investing in an AI company that creates military technology. "We don’t want our music killing people. We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech."
Deerhoof are pulling their entire catalog from Spotify due to CEO Daniel Ek's involvement with an AI weapons company →
Deerhoof leaving Spotify after Daniel Ek AI battletech investment: "We don't want our music killing people"
Deerhoof to Pull Music From Spotify: ‘We Don’t Want Our Success Tied to AI Battle Tech’
.@Deerhoof are taking their music off of @Spotify
7 posts • OpenAI (o3)
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Spotify has overhauled its flagship Discover Weekly playlist for the first time since its 2015 debut, marking the feature’s 10th anniversary with new genre-based controls. Premium subscribers can now select up to five genres—such as pop, R&B or K-pop—at the top of the 30-track playlist, allowing the platform’s recommendation engine to tailor Monday’s mix more precisely to individual tastes. The company said it intends to extend the option to more users after the initial rollout on mobile.
The streaming service disclosed that listeners have played more than 100 billion tracks through Discover Weekly, with 77 percent of those streams coming from emerging artists. Spotify framed the update as part of a broader push toward “hyper-personalisation,” following recent additions that let users preview queued recommendations, snooze overplayed songs for 30 days and experiment with an AI-powered DJ and text-to-playlist tools.
The latest tweak also addresses long-standing complaints about repetitive selections and inaccurate genre tagging in Discover Weekly. By giving listeners direct input, Spotify aims to keep the decade-old feature central to music discovery as competition among streaming platforms intensifies.
Spotify now allows users to choose their favorite musical genres, in direct response to criticism of the algorithm's effectiveness.
Spotify updates its Discover Weekly playlist after ten years, adding new genre filters for Premium users, and says users streamed 100B+ tracks via the playlist (@asilbwrites / TechCrunch)
Spotify will let users personalize the genre of Discover Weekly playlists
Spotify revamps its Discover Weekly playlist after ten years: by TechCrunch #infosec #cybersecurity #technology #news
By @ziks_99 - Spotify is celebrating the tenth birthday of Discover Weekly. To mark the occasion, it's giving Premium members more control over Discover Weekly playlists with genre options. #Spotify #DiscoverWeekly
9 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
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Kesha released a new single titled "THE ONE." on June 27, 2025, which quickly rose to number one on the US iTunes chart. It became the first solo female song to debut at number one on US iTunes in 2025 and marked Kesha's first number one single on the platform since "Timber" over 12 years ago. The song also achieved notable international success, ranking as the second highest new entry on the worldwide iTunes song chart at number nine and the fourth highest new entry on European iTunes at number 26. On its first day, "THE ONE." garnered 310,000 streams on Spotify.
Following the single's success, Kesha released a new album titled "." (Period) on July 4, 2025. The album, her first as an independent artist, quickly climbed the US iTunes charts, entering the top five and later the top three. Critical reception noted Kesha's exploration of pop experimentation and the album's alignment with the emerging hyperpop genre, characterized by a hedonistic and neon-hued style.
6 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
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Lorde's new album 'Virgin' achieved a strong debut on the global Spotify chart, accumulating 16 million streams in its first full day of release. The album's tracks have made a notable impact, with seven songs charting globally. The lead new entry, "Shapeshifter," debuted at number 30 with 2.469 million streams worldwide and 955,877 streams in the U.S. Other tracks from the album also charted, including "Hammer" at number 72 with 1.747 million streams, "What Was That" at number 86 with 1.665 million streams, "Favourite Daughter" at number 124 with 1.434 million streams, "Man Of The Year" at number 135 with 1.403 million streams, "Current Affairs" at number 138 with 1.391 million streams, and "Clearblue" at number 198 with 1.219 million streams. The album's performance highlights Lorde's continued presence on global streaming platforms.
5 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
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KATSEYE's single "Gabriela" has achieved notable success on global and US Spotify charts following its release. It debuted at number 44 on the global Spotify chart with 2.066 million streams and at number 65 on the US Spotify chart with 491,000 streams. The track steadily climbed the global chart, reaching a new peak of number 10 with 3.219 million streams. On the US Spotify chart, "Gabriela" peaked at number 41 with 617,000 streams.
Additionally, "Gabriela" entered the UK Official Singles Chart's top 50 for the first time and debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. From KATSEYE's EP "Beautiful Chaos," three tracks charted on the global Spotify chart: "Gabriela" at number 10, "Gnarly" at number 50, and "Gameboy" at number 186. "Gameboy" also debuted at number 109 on the US Spotify chart with 424,000 streams and later rose to number 121 globally with 1.28 million streams. The EP accumulated a total of 6.49 million streams across its charting tracks. In related chart movements, TWICE's "Strategy" rose to number 150 on the global Spotify chart with 1.255 million streams, and PinkPantheress's "Illegal" peaked at number 141 with 1.287 million streams.
25 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)
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New Zealand singer Lorde has released her fourth studio album, 'Virgin,' marking her first album in nearly four years. The album, produced entirely by Lorde and Jim-E Stack with contributions from Dev Hynes, Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, and Dan Nigro, has been described as introspective, emotionally raw, and a departure from her previous acoustic style toward a more pulsing pop sound. Critics have generally praised 'Virgin' for its personal and revealing themes, with Rolling Stone awarding it four-and-a-half stars and highlighting it as Lorde's most introspective work to date. The album debuted with 16 million streams on Spotify in its first full day and charted seven tracks on the Global Spotify chart, with the single 'Shapeshifter' entering at number 30 with 2.469 million streams globally and 955,877 streams in the U.S.
Commercially, 'Virgin' debuted at number one on the UK albums chart, becoming Lorde's first number one album in the UK, and reached number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 71,000 equivalent album units sold, including 42,000 pure sales. It also marked her fourth consecutive top five studio album on the Billboard 200 and her fourth top 10 album overall. The album has sparked discussions about Lorde's evolving artistic identity and personal growth, touching on themes such as a breakup, an eating disorder, and expanding gender identity.
