Spotify, UMG Ink AI Deal; Shamrock Raises $813M in MBW’s Weekly Round-up

From Spotify and UMG’s landmark AI deal to Shamrock’s $813M raise… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-up

May 22, 2026 By Rafaela Fornitani Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s Weekly Round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s Round-up is exclusively supported by BMI, a global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music.

This week, Spotify and Universal Music Group unveiled a licensing deal that will let fans create AI-powered covers and remixes of UMG songs, sold as a paid add-on to Spotify Premium .

Meanwhile, Shamrock Capital, the firm that sold Taylor Swift back her masters last year, closed a new $813 million content rights fund.

Elsewhere, UMG and TikTok struck a fresh multi-year licensing renewal, with expanded AI protections for artists and songwriters.

Also this week, Chord Music Partners’ John Chapman told an invite-only audience at an industry breakfast co-hosted by MBW and The Raine Group in London that a wall of insurance-sector capital is heading for music rights.

Plus, Spotify scrapped its Premium Lite tier in India , Indonesia , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , and the UAE – cutting standard Premium prices to what Lite previously cost.

Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past few days…

1. SPOTIFY AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP STRIKE LANDMARK DEAL TO LET FANS CREATE AI COVERS AND REMIXES – AS A PAID PREMIUM ADD-ON

Spotify and Universal Music Group announced licensing agreements on Thursday (May 21) that will let fans create AI-powered covers and remixes of songs from participating artists and songwriters. The new tool will launch as a paid add-on for Spotify Premium subscribers, creating what the companies described as an additional revenue stream on top of existing royalties. The agreements span both recorded music and music publishing. All Spotify users will be able to play the created tracks… ( MBW )

2. AFTER SELLING TAYLOR SWIFT HER MASTERS, SHAMROCK CLOSES NEW $813M FUND – TARGETING RIGHTS INCLUDING MUSIC

Less than a year after selling Taylor Swift back the master rights to her first six studio albums, Shamrock Capital has closed a new content acquisition fund with total capital commitments of USD $813 million . The vehicle – Shamrock Capital Content Fund IV – will target entertainment rights including music, film, television, sports, video games, and creator economy opportunities. Content IV was oversubscribed at first close and completed its fundraise in just over three months, exceeding its $700 million target… ( MBW )

3. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP AND TIKTOK STRIKE NEW MULTI-YEAR LICENSING DEAL — WITH EXPANDED AI PROTECTIONS FOR ARTISTS AND SONGWRITERS

Universal Music Group and TikTok have struck a new multi-year global licensing deal. The agreement keeps UMG ‘s recorded music and publishing catalogs available to TikTok ‘s global community, while expanding commercial and creative opportunities for Universal’s artists and songwriters. It builds on the “multi-dimensional partnership” struck between the two companies in May 2024 – a deal that ended a months-long licensing standoff between UMG and TikTok ….. ( MBW )

4. CHORD MUSIC PARTNERS’ JOHN CHAPMAN ON THE NEXT WAVE OF CAPITAL HEADING FOR MUSIC RIGHTS

John Chapman , who manages the family office behind Chord Music Partners , has voiced strong optimism for the future value of premium music catalogs – pointing to a seismic shift driven by a new source of capital: the insurance sector. “Nobody understands how much insurance money is coming this way,” Chapman said on Tuesday (May 19) at an invite-only industry breakfast co-hosted by MBW and The Raine Group at London’s Charlotte Street Hotel . Chord has rarely spoken publicly since emerging as one of the world’s largest independent music rights platforms, making Chapman ‘s remarks among the most detailed the firm has offered on its strategy… ( MBW )

5. SPOTIFY SCRAPS NEW ‘PREMIUM LITE’ TIER IN INDIA, INDONESIA, SAUDI ARABIA, UAE, AND SOUTH AFRICA – WHILE SLASHING STANDARD PREMIUM PRICES

Spotify has discontinued its Premium Lite subscription tier across all five markets where it launched the product in November 2025. The move affects not just India – where the change was flagged earlier – but also Indonesia , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , and the UAE . In each market, Spotify has cut its Premium Standard price to the level previously charged for Premium Lite , effectively giving subscribers the full Standard feature set at the old Lite price… ( MBW )

Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI , the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about  BMI   here .  Music Business Worldwide

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_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/from-spotify-and-umgs-landmark-ai-deal-to-shamrocks-813m-raise-its-mbws-weekly-round-up/)._