And The Update Is...The Charts Are Country. The Industry Is AI. Now What?

April 24
3 mins

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Episode Description

Every week, And the Writer Is brings you the most important news moving through the music industry — straight, sharp, and no fluff. This week Ross Golan opens the weekly And The Writer Is… news update (week of April 20, 2026) by highlighting major chart wins:

  • Swimf by BTS is #1 on the Global 200 for a fourth week
  • Choose In Texas by Ella Langley holds #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a seventh week
  • Her album Dandelion debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200

He teases an upcoming Stagecoach interview and notes a strong country music moment.

New music + industry highlights:

  • Olivia Rodrigo dropped a new single Drop Dead, debuting at #1 on Spotify charts, co-written/produced by Dan Nigro
  • The podcast re-released Dan Nigro’s episode to celebrate

Business + industry news:

  • Paul Epworth sold his catalog for a massive (undisclosed) amount
  • Streaming platform Deezer is now receiving 75,000 AI-generated tracks per day (44% of uploads), raising concerns about “AI slop”
  • Splice introduced a new AI tool that pays sample creators, which Ross praises

Other updates:

  • Massive Attack signed a new deal banning certain rules (brief mention)
  • Miranda Lambert signed with MCA Nashville, signaling a major upcoming era

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