AI, bot farms and innocent indie victims: how music streaming became a hotbed of fraud and fakery

Fraudsters use fake artists to juice royalties from streaming services – but real musicians are getting blamed. Might they be better off without Spotify et al?

On the right track: the record label reaching out to Cameroon’s street talent

Born in Douala prison and hailed for helping young people stay out of trouble, the success of Jail Time Records has persuaded Burkina Faso to let the label branch out there

‘Feels bigger than herself’: the importance of Taylor Swift’s latest victory

World’s most famous pop star has finally bought back rights to her master recordings, a win for her but also a potentially major win for the industry

Taylor Swift buys back the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums

After her former label sold her catalogue in 2019, Swift embarked on her lucrative album rerecording project – but now owns the originals for the first time

‘Blur were so obnoxious!’: 35 years of epic gigs at Glasgow’s King Tut’s, from Oasis to Lewis Capaldi

It’s where Oasis were discovered – and where Radiohead only ever drew 150 people. Insiders and regulars like KT Tunstall explain why the live music venue is so loved by audience and artists

Tough times loom for night-time economy as young Britons opt to go out (and go home) early

Mitchells & Butlers pubco boss says home delivery boom and social media have changed attitudes to going out late

We have a chance to prevent AI decimating Britain’s creative industries – but it’s slipping away

The government has doubled down on a plans that would allow mass cultural theft, but we are fighting it at every stage, says crossbench peer Beeban Kidron

‘None of this should have worked’: David Adjmi on how Led Zeppelin sparked Broadway smash Stereophonic

The playwright was about to quit theatre but hearing Babe I’m Gonna Leave You led to a sensational, Tony-winning collaboration with Arcade Fire’s Will Butler

Oasis fans to shell out more than £1bn on reunion tour, study shows

Average spend of £766 includes tickets, accommodation, £75 on food and drink, £60 on merchandise plus travel and new outfits

From early setbacks to a storming Springsteen show: Co-op Live, a year on

CEO of company behind arena in Manchester says he’s ‘proud of the bet we made’ as report details economic impact

‘Everything we built – gone’: how the wildfires decimated LA’s music scene

January’s blazes in California have devastated the livelihoods of performers, technicians and other music industry pros. They reveal what they lost – and how they’re rebuilding

Spotify running again after users around world report problems

Audio streaming app confirms service restored following more than five hours of disruption

‘One minute it’s “would you like to listen to Galaxie 500?”, the next humanity’s enslaved’: can anyone escape Spotify?

As a new book skewers Spotify’s effect on music, two Guardian music writers spent a week assessing the limits of living with and without it

UK watchdog backs plan for cap on price of resale tickets in blow to touts

CMA stance moves Britain step closer to outright ban on ticket touts ripping off fans

Neil Young rejects dynamic pricing for concert tickets, credits the Cure’s Robert Smith for decision

Young’s forthcoming Love Earth tour will not use Ticketmaster’s ‘platinum’ ticketing scheme – described by Smith as ‘a greedy scam’