The stats are shocking: Deezer claims that 60,000 fully AI generated songs are uploaded to its service daily. Given that most music is distributed at once to all platforms, experts say that Spotify’s daily count — of the more than 100,000 songs estimated to be uploaded daily overall — shouldn’t be too far off. 

The rapid acceleration of AI song uploads might sound like a problem for streaming services, which are facing issues with user experience and search confusion amid the flood of content. But does Spotify, by far the most influential player in the market, view it that way? 

In the company’s latest earnings call last Tuesday (Feb. 10), co-CEO Gustav Söderström said, basically, no. “A growing catalog has always been very good for us,” he said in reference to the rise of original AI-generated songs. “It attracts new users, drives engagement and builds fandoms … while the music may be generated on various AI platforms, the point is that regardless of where the music is made, the cultural moment always happens on Spotify.” 

Some AI songs have already proven to be popular listening options on Spotify, as evidenced by the number of AI songs that have climbed its charts. If Spotify were to limit the growth of its catalog, barring or penalizing certain AI-generated content, it’s likely that Spotify would open itself up to competition from a more lax streaming platform. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Spotify has yet to make AI-specific regulations on its platform, instead adopting an approach that generally penalizes any case of impersonation, mass uploads and artificial streaming — problems that often are associated with (but not limited to) AI music. 

Today, the public debate over whether AI music belongs on streaming services — and if the AI music companies facilitating the creation of all that music should do more to stop the surge — has hit a fever pitch, dividing stakeholders even within the same sector of the music business. AI music companies, like Udio and Suno, are divided in their take on this situation — as are majors like Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group and listening platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp. 

The debate is also at issue in Universal Music Group’s settlement talks in its lawsuit against Suno. In a recent interview on Billboard’s On the Record podcast, UMG chief digital officer and executive vp, Michael Nash, said that Suno’s disinterest in making its service into a so-called “walled garden,” where no songs can exit their own platform, is a reason why their part of the 2024 $500 million copyright infringement lawsuit is still ongoing. “That’s kind of a hat-hanger in this discussion,” he said.

Udio, which was also sued by the three majors in a near-identical 2024 lawsuit, agreed to a “walled garden” to reach a settlement with UMG — and as soon as it happened, angry Udio users took to Reddit, writing, “This feels like an absolute betrayal,” and, “This is the worst and most disgusting fraud.” (In response to the backlash, Udio opened up downloading for 48 hours to quell the upset customers and remain committed to upholding a “walled garden.”) 

Just days after Nash’s interview aired, Suno’s chief music officer Paul Sinclair took to LinkedIn to write a lengthy post called “Open Studios, Not Walled Gardens,” weighing in with his point of view on the matter, writing, “At the center of today’s debate is control versus empowerment.

“There’s a growing narrative that the safest future for music is one where new creative tools live inside tightly controlled, ‘walled garden’ environments. The idea is that if music can’t leave the platform, can’t be downloaded, edited elsewhere, shared freely, or distributed more broadly, then rights are better protected,” he wrote, adding that he “understand[s] where that instinct comes from,” given his past experience at Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records. 

But Sinclair believes that “if we had tried to lock music into closed systems over the last 25 years, we wouldn’t have streaming as we know it,” arguing that there are a number of exciting new genres and innovations in the music business that lie ahead, “but for that promise to be real, these tools can’t just be toys inside a box.”

Warner Music Group was able to find a way forward with Suno and finalized a deal with the AI music platform back in November that settled their part of the blockbuster lawsuit, created a new licensing regime and, notably, did not force Suno to adopt a “walled garden.” Instead, Suno users now have a limit on downloads and must pay more money to increase that limit. Following Nash and Sinclair’s remarks, WMG CEO Robert Kyncl was asked about the “walled garden” debate during Warner’s last earnings call on Feb. 5. He answered: “I think this issue is getting painted too much in black and white… Black and white is never the answer.”

Bandcamp believes there’s no such thing as an equilibrium — AI songs shouldn’t sit alongside human-made ones. The music platform recently posted an update on Reddit, telling users about a new policy that bans songs that use generative in all or a “substantial part” of their process. When asked for more information on how this system would work, Dan Melnick, general manager for Bandcamp, told Billboard he was not able to provide details “for security purposes” but assured that the systems “are under constant review for efficacy.”

These discussions all assume something big, however — that it is possible to stop users from finding a way to download and distribute AI music, no matter what walls are put up on the AI model or on a listening service. Musician and technologist Holly Herndon noted this in a thread on X, following news of Bandcamp’s new rules, saying that banning AI music is a “tourniquet” and impossible to enforce.

One solution to the inevitable leak of AI music on the internet comes from Nash’s On the Record interview: anti-dilution policies. Nash told Billboard that this policy was devised first to resolve UMG’s three-month standoff with TikTok in 2024. He revealed on the podcast that back in 2024, the real reason why UMG pulled its music from TikTok stemmed from TikTok’s proposal to use “AI content” created by users “to dilute the royalty pool for artists,” as he put it. 

In the resolution of that deal, Nash asserts UMG ended up getting “the best protections that we had been able to obtain to that point,” adding that “they remain some of the best protections that we have in any agreement with the music service, in terms of AI protection and what we call anti-dilution, meaning our royalties won’t be diluted by pure AI content” — something that he also says he’s now successfully added to streaming service agreements since. A representative for WMG tells Billboard they are also working to add these same protections into its licensing deals as well. 

As Kyncl said in WMG’s earnings call “it’s never easy,” to strike this balance between the interests of worried rights holders and tech optimists. “but it’s worth it to do the hard work of finding the equilibrium that creates value — we think we got it right.”

Dee Snider says rumors of his impending death have been exaggerated. The Twisted Sister frontman who a few weeks ago announced that he’d left the veteran metal band due to a “series of health challenges” that scotched their planned run of 50h anniversary shows revealed on this week’s episode of his House of Hair radio show that things are not as grim as they seem.

“I’m not dying! No, not never. I mean, we’re all dying, but not immediately,” said Snider, 70, who told fans on Saturday (Feb. 14) that he’s struggling with arthritis and an unspecified heart issue. “My announcement about canceling the tour for health reasons, problems with my heart, arthritis, things like that… the rumors have run wild that I’m on my death bed, I am not,” added Snider. “I just can’t do those things that I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s. Otherwise I’m alive and well. I’m enjoying life.”

Twisted Sister announced on Feb. 5 that they were forced to call off their entire 50th anniversary tour, which was slated to feature three of its longest-running members, founding guitarist Jay Jay French, longtime guitarist Eddie Ojeda and Snider. The “We’re Not Gonna Take It” band originally split in 1988 and reunited a decade later, touring and recording on and off for the next decade before announcing what they deemed their farewell tour in 2015 following the death of drummer A.J. Pero, followed by 2016’s 40th anniversary tour, Forty and F–k It.

The band announced plans for a 50th anniversary tour in September, dubbed Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted. In February, though, they pulled the plug over Snider’s health issues. “Due to the sudden and unexpected resignation of Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider brought on by a series of health challenges, the band has been forced to cancel all shows scheduled,” they said at the time. “A lifetime of legendarily aggressive performing has taken its toll on Dee Snider’s body and soul. Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life’s work has taken its toll on his heart as well. He can no longer push the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll fury like he has done for decades.”

Cardi B has not said much to date about her reported break-up with NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots. But during one of her Little Miss Drama tour stops in Los Angeles on Sunday night (Feb. 15), the rapper seemed to open up about the couple’s split, less than four months after Cardi gave birth to their son in November.

“Just because I ain’t f–ling with my baby daddy doesn’t mean you get to talk about my baby daddy,” Cardi said during the show according to video of the comment. She then added a pointed, “this is for you b–ch,” before moving into her Am I the Drama? song “Pretty & Petty.” The diss track aimed at rapper BIA and came just days after BIA hopped online and appeared to take a swipe at Diggs, whose Patriots were blown out 29-13 by the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl LX earlier this month.

“Can u name someone with more [baby mamas] than receiving yards,” BIA wrote on X on Thursday. “I can! and I know that… ykwnvm.”

Rumors that Cardi and Diggs had broken up after a year of dating —they reportedly began seeing each other in October 2024 and went official in June of last year — began to bubble up after the rapper was asked if she had a pre-game message for Diggs and she flatly replied, “Good luck” and then fans noticed that the two had unfollowed each other on Instagram. The speculation ramped up again after Cardi left the game early after her surprise cameo in Bad Bunny’s historic halftime show.

BIA told Hot 97 last year that the origins of the two MC’s issues stemmed from fans noticing that BIA’s Really Her EP from 2023 and Cardi’s “Enough (Miami)” track the following year had a similar groove. BIA dissed Cardi on her “Sue Me” track in 2024, with Cardi responding on “Pretty & Petty.”

Cardi’s tour will hit Portland’s Moda Center on Thursday (Feb. 19).

After an extended hiatus, acclaimed synth-pop trio Chvrches are back – and they’re shining a new light on an indie classic. The Scottish band have released a stunning take on The Postal Service’s track “Such Great Heights,” appearing in the third season finale of psychological drama Tell Me Lies (Hulu/Disney+), closing out the show’s emotional narrative arc.

Comprising singer Lauren Mayberry and multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, Chvrches have made a significant musical contribution to Tell Me Lies, also delivering a rendition of Rober Palmer’s “Addicted To Love” for the third season premiere. As Mayberry tells Billboard U.K. in an exclusive interview, the band have a “genuine love” for the show and jumped at the opportunity to get involved.

“It was such a treat to get to make music for the season premiere and the season finale of this show,” said Mayberry. “Bookending the insanity and the heartbreak of the season three arc was an honour. ‘Such Great Heights’ is basically a perfect song so we were excited and terrified to cover it in equal measure. The Postal Service is such a special band and their music means a lot to us.”

Prior to the final episode airing airing on Hulu, showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed that the show was concluding with season three. “This was always the ending my writing team and I had in mind, and we are insanely proud of it,” she wrote on her Instagram.

As a solo act, Mayberry shares a unique bond with The Postal Service, having been one of their tour supports for the North America 2023 co-headline shows with Death Cab For Cutie. She reflected on this experience in a Trackstar* street interview last summer, describing how elated she was to watch them perform night after night.

Chvrches’ last full-length effort, meanwhile, arrived in the form of 2021 horror-infused LP Screen Violence – which landed at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart upon release. Mayberry told Billboard U.K. that new material is in the pipeline, with a “fun and ferocity that feels new” for the band. Before then, they’ll return to the stage next month (Mar. 27) by opening up for pioneering shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Here, Mayberry discusses her Tell Me Lies fandom, the process behind covering “Such Great Heights”, and the exciting plans on the horizon for Chvrches.

How did the opportunity to record this song come about?

Lauren: A friend of mine [Liz Elverenli] joined the show as a writer for season three. One day out of the blue, she texted me from the set asking if we would be interested in doing some music for the season premiere. Apparently they were talking on set about cover songs and artists that would potentially connect with the viewing demographic and when our name came up, she was like, ‘I know [Lauren]! She loves the show!” 

She put me in touch with Meaghan Oppenheimer, the showrunner, and we talked on the phone about what they were looking for and it all grew from there. I had to try hard not to fangirl Meaghan too hard – it’s crazy to me that such a lovely, warm person can write such a twisted, demented show. A woman of layers.

Why do you feel that this song and your cover suited the show and these closing scenes?

Lauren: I think having a genuine love for the show put me in a good position to know what I would want the pay off of that final scene to feel like, from a fan’s perspective. For a show that is so full of twists, they did somehow still manage to save some doozies for the last episode. 

As much as she makes some very ill-advised decisions, I do have a lot of empathy for Lucy and why she acts the way she does. I think this season really shows the longer term damage that is done by those kinds of relationships – at any age but especially when someone is so young.

The fact the college sections are set in 2008 and 2009 feels poignant to me. I was at university at that time too, and there was no dialogue around “toxic” relationships in the way there is now. I was thinking about that and trying to bring that personal experience to my delivery when we recorded. I always liked the balance of joy and melancholy in the Postal Service’s music. 

What are your earliest memories of hearing the Postal Service?

Lauren: My bandmate at the time lent me his copy of Give Up as an example of good girl-boy vocal sharing for us to try and emulate and I fell in love with the album. I loved basically everything in Jenny [Lewis] and Ben [Gibbard]’s individual cinematic universes, so them combined was a no-brainer.

One of the first US festivals Chvrches played was Sasquatch [in George, Washington] in 2013. The Postal Service were playing as part of the ten year anniversary of the record, and it felt like every other band on the line-up stayed to watch. We toured with Death Cab [For Cutie] a couple of years after that, and then I did some solo shows opening on the Transatlanticism / Give Up 20th anniversary tour, so there is quite a lot of overlap between our musical worlds and it felt poignant to get to do a version of this song. 

I did email Ben about it to make sure they wouldn’t find it weird and so that he didn’t think we were being creepy. He was characteristically lovely about it, of course.

Why did you fall in love with the Postal Service and their music?

Ben and Jenny are probably two of my favourite lyricists of all time. I just love how they tell stories. There’s such lore and romance to how the record was made too. It’s really inspiring to see musicians try new things and step outside of what they are already known for. That kind of freedom and fearlessness when it comes to creativity is something I am really drawn to, but probably too chickensh–t to try. Bring back supergroups, man. We need more Boygeniuses!

How do you bring a song into your world when you’re recording a cover?

It’s always a challenge to find the balance of keeping certain aspects of the original that feel essential to the DNA of the song, and trying to bring your own sauce to it. “Such Great Heights” is basically a perfect pop song and I don’t know how one would ever top that, so we just tried to be respectful and faithful to it.

I like to sit with the lyrics when we’re doing a cover and think about what story they’re telling and what they mean to me. Sometimes you can know a song insanely well and still be sort of surprised by what the lyrics really mean, when you look at them written down and out of context – and playing a song is quite different to just listening to it. 

What else is going on in Chrvches’ world? Is a new album on the way?

We are pretty close to finishing the new album, yes. We recorded these covers during the studio sessions for the record, actually. I don’t want to give too much away too early but we all feel really good about what we’re making. There’s a fun and ferocity to it that feels new for us. I’m excited for people to hear it.

You’re supporting My Bloody Valentine at the Royal Albert Hall next month (Mar. 27). Is that something of a ‘pinch-me’ moment?

We are really looking forward to that show. It’s a charity event for the Teenage Cancer Trust, curated by Robert Smith, and it will be the first Chvrches show in three years, which feels crazy to say.

It’s a “stripped back” set but we’re definitely going to make sure it still slams. We can’t open for My Bloody Valentine on acoustic guitars, you know? We all love the band so much and want to do right by them, and the charity.

Lainey Wilson may be in the middle of a major international run, but when it comes to career milestones, few moments top being able to call Dolly Parton a friend.

Appearing live in studio on Nova 96.9’s Ricki-Lee & Tim in Sydney, Australia, on Monday morning (Feb. 16), the Grammy-winning country star reflected on her growing bond with the country icon, describing the relationship as both surreal and deeply meaningful.

“It’s insane. She has become a dear friend, which is also weird for me to say,” Wilson said when asked about working with Parton.

Wilson went on to praise Parton not just as a performer, but as a business force and industry trailblazer. “The way that she has, like, continued to pave a path and I mean, she’s an incredible human businesswoman, like, she’s just got it going on,” Wilson added.

That tour stop brought Wilson to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday night (Feb. 15), where she said the crowd delivered one of the most intense reactions she’s experienced.

“Honestly, it was probably one of the loudest shows that I’ve ever seen,” she said. “They were singing songs that I normally see, like 75% of the crowd singing.”

Wilson admitted it took her until 2 a.m. to wind down following the performance. “To tell you the truth it does take me a long time to come down,” she said, describing the post-show quiet as a “weird feeling” after performing in front of thousands.

“I pick up people’s energy so much, I kind of feel like the whole show is an energy exchange,” Wilson explained. “It’s like, I’m putting it out there and they’re giving it back.”

While in the studio, Wilson also joked about one aspect of the recent Grammy Awards ceremony she’d like to see improved.

“Tiny little tables! I was like come on Grammys… give us a bigger table,” she said with a laugh, referring to the cramped seating arrangements at the awards show.

Wilson continues her Australian dates this week before returning to the U.S. for additional tour commitments.