Original Coverage & Source Attribution: routenote.com
New RouteNote partners and licensing subscriptions, Apple Music’s rebrand, and Spotify’s audiobooks boom. Plus streaming fraudster’s prison sentence, Shorts’ algorithm update, and AI labelling and filters.
RouteNote partners with Lissen
RouteNote has partnered with Lissen, a fan-focused streaming platform with a user-centric approach to music discovery and royalties. Available now in the Stores selection, RouteNote users can distribute their tracks to this new platform, opening up an exciting opportunity to reach even more listeners and earn revenue from their music.
RouteNote Licensing launches new subscription models
RouteNote’s own subscription music licensing service, RouteNote Licensing, has given its pricing model a refresh. Aiming to give creators affordable access to professional-quality sounds, the Free subscription offers 3 music downloads per month and 20 sound effects downloads per month. The Creator Plus plan is available at $7.99/month or $59.99/year and offers unlimited access to the platform’s catalogue, as well as unlimited downloads. Both plans benefit from perpetual licenses.
Apple Music expands to four new countries
Apple Music has made its streaming service available in four new countries, bringing the platform to 172 countries and regions in total. Apple Music can now be found in Albania, Brunei, Burkina Faso and Pakistan. The rollout comes as part of a wider international expansion, after Apple Music enjoyed a particularly positive year in 2025 for record listenership and new users.
YouTube Shorts now favours original content
YouTube Shorts is updating its algorithm to prioritise original content and reduce the reach of low-effort reuploads. Creators are encouraged to add their own commentary, editing or creative perspective if they do reshare someone else’s content. For independent artists, original Shorts featuring their music, performances or studio process could have a better chance of reaching new audiences.
Spotify is expanding audiobooks to over 180 markets
Spotify is preparing to take its audiobook service to a much wider global audience, announcing plans to expand from 22 markets to more than 180 by the end of 2026. The first wave of the expansion will take place on the 5th of November, and includes Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Finland.
Streaming fraudster sentenced to 18 months in prison
Michael Smith has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for using AI-generated music and automated bots to make more than $8 million in fake streaming royalties. His scheme involved billions of fake streams between 2017 and 2024, and he has been ordered to pay back the money he made. The Music Fights Fraud Alliance welcomed the sentence, highlighting how fake streams take royalties away from genuine artists and songwriters.
Deezer lets listeners filter out AI-generated music
Deezer is introducing a global filter that will let listeners exclude fully AI-generated music from search results, with the feature expected to roll out before the end of 2026. The update builds on Deezer’s existing AI detection and labelling efforts, with the platform having identified more than 42 million AI-generated tracks. The update marks a shift from simply identifying AI-generated music to giving listeners a say in whether they want to hear it.
YouTube Music starts labelling AI-generated tracks
YouTube Music is introducing labels for tracks created primarily with generative AI, showing them on player pages with plans to extend the feature to the main YouTube app. The platform will use its own detection tools alongside information from music industry partners, who can classify releases as fully AI-generated, partly AI-generated or not AI-generated. The update follows similar moves from Deezer, Spotify and Apple Music as streaming services work to make AI involvement in music clearer to listeners.
Apple Music unveils new logo
Apple Music has unveiled a new logo and visual identity developed with British producer Fred again.. and audio collaborators NEST Acoustics. The team used sound-driven experiments with vibrating liquid to create visuals inspired by the movement of music. The redesign introduces a black-and-white colour scheme and a refreshed app icon, replacing the service’s familiar red branding.
Stay up to date with the biggest news in the music industry, as well as updates from RouteNote and partners, by checking out the RouteNote blog.
