UNLIMITED SUPPLY with Digital Music News When no news is good news, South Dakota Times X and it's the distribution, stupid.
Mar 20, 2026
Big music business moves and catalog buyouts make headlines. A major AI streaming fraud plea and hefty forfeiture raise legal alarms. Deezer posts its first profitable year amid industry shifts. IFPI data shows global revenue growth and changing regional leaders. The conversation zeroes in on how wealth is distributed across the music ecosystem.
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Rapino's Testimony Was Strategic Silence
- Michael Rapino chose his words carefully during Live Nation testimony to avoid making new headlines.
- Lars Murray contrasts Rapino's guarded testimony with evidence of aggressive Live Nation tactics, implying strategic silence as damage control.
AI Streaming Fraud Proved Profitable And Criminal
- The first AI streaming fraud case ended with a guilty plea and significant forfeiture and prison exposure.
- Michael Smith pled guilty after using Boomi-generated AI tracks and bots to amass $8 million, underlining how profitable fraud schemes can be.
Deezer Reached Profit By Resisting AI Slop
- Deezer reported its first-ever profit of $9.4 million, showing streaming services can reach profitability without AI slop.
- Lars Murray highlights Deezer's resistance to low-quality AI content as part of its path to profit.