<p><strong>Your easy weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. </strong><em>Become a </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</em><em><strong>Superfan of the podcast for free – and enjoy the exclusive weekly Lock-in bonus section! </strong></em></a><strong>This week, Producer Joe steps into some big shoes to chat with Stuart about:</strong></p><ul><li><p>How many streams did Drake’s THREE new albums get since their release on 15 May. But is this a hit comeback or a flop?</p></li><li><p>Ozzy Osbourne is back! Wait, you say, isn’t he dead? Well, yes, but he’s the latest late star to be <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/ozzy-osbourne-ai-powered-digital-avatar-announced-1236254316/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">returning in avatar form</a>.</p></li><li><p>Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger: which musical nostalgia is <a href="https://boingboing.net/2026/05/19/the-uk-has-formally-declared-badger-badger-badger-worthy-of-preservation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">now a preserved cultural artifact in the UK</a>?</p></li><li><p>Spotify held its Investor Day last week, unveiling some new features including two big pieces of music news: <a href="https://musically.com/2026/05/21/spotify-will-now-reserve-concert-tickets-for-subscribers-who-are-superfans-of-artists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">one around ticketing</a> and <a href="https://musically.com/2026/05/21/spotify-and-umg-sign-licensing-deals-to-launch-an-ai-tool-for-fan-made-covers-and-remixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">one around AI</a>.</p></li><li><p>Elsewhere in AI music-land, <a href="https://newsletter.waterandmusic.com/archive/a-scoop-on-udios-upcoming-app-starstruck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">details have leaked out</a> about the new ‘Starstruck’ service that Udio is building with its major-label deals. What can we expect?</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/ed-sheeran-to-leave-warner-music-after-15-years-we-ve-built-something-amazing-together/094184" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Ed Sheeran is leaving Warner Music Group</a> after 15 years being signed to the company’s Asylum Records imprint. So where might his next recordings home be?</p></li><li><p>Techno megastar Richie Hawtin is more than capable of making your nose bleed in a club, but can he help you study or sleep at home? His latest release aims to show he can…</p></li><li><p>You can make vinyl out of recycled records now, but does that affect the quality of how they sound? Yes, but no, is the answer...</p></li></ul><p><strong>And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our </strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠<strong>Patreon Superfans</strong>⁠⁠</a><strong>, Stu and Joe prop themselves up at the bar – and while the barman may have changed, the game&#39;s the same... in this week&#39;s bonus material:</strong> </p><ul><li><p>What other pieces of musical memory deserve to be preserved? (And Stu reminisces fondly about, erm, The Kersal Massive (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uja3W-ibifc)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uja3W-ibifc)</a></p></li><li><p>Do we actually want to remix our favourite artists using AI? (Joe has a one-word answer)</p></li><li><p>Which dead musicians do we want to see as avatars, if any?</p></li><li><p>Is Drake any good? Really though, is he?</p></li></ul><p>===================================</p><p><strong>As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular</strong> – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!</p><p>Email us: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><strong>[email protected]</strong></a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a></p><p>See you next week!</p><p>Stuart and Joe</p><p>======</p><p>TPOM online: <a href="http://tpom.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">http://tpom.uk/</a></p><p>Support The Price of Music on Patreon:</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠</a></p><p>Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge</p><p>Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod</p><p>For sponsorship opportunities, please email - <a href="mailto:⁠⁠[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠[email protected]</a></p><p><br></p>