Music Ally

musically.com‘Spotify is now an agent’ – Co-CEO outlines company’s AI planWe’ve been following the burst of launches of personal agents – Meta’s Muse, OpenAI’s Dots and Anthropic’s Claude Duet – with keen interest recently. Unsurprisingly, so has Spotify.

‘Spotify is now an agent’ – Co-CEO outlines company’s AI plan We’ve been following the burst of launches of personal agents – Meta’s Muse, OpenAI’s Dots and Anthropic’s Claude Duet – with keen interest… https://musically.com/2026/10/23/spotify-is-now-an-agent-co-ceo-outlines-companys-ai-plan/

musically.comZee Music Company to sharpen A&R focus, plans to sign five more artistsIn March, Indian record label Zee Music Company announced that it had signed veteran pop act AdnanSami for “a series of original non-film singles”. Since then, it’s inked similar deals with composer-producer Qaran — best known for ‘Tareefan’, a hit that was part of the ZMC soundtrack to the 2018 Bollywood movie Veere Di Wedding — and Punjabi singer-songwriter Noor Chahal.

Zee Music Company to sharpen A&R focus, plans to sign five more artists In March, Indian record label Zee Music Company announced that it had signed veteran pop act AdnanSami for “a series of original non-film singles”....

musically.comHarder, Better, Faster… Brickier? Daft Punk are teaming up with LegoOne more tile, we're gonna celebrate! We're up all night to get blocky! Yes, the Daft Punk / Lego crossover is finally here.

Harder, Better, Faster… Brickier? Daft Punk are teaming up with Lego One more tile, we're gonna celebrate! We're up all night to get blocky! Yes, the Daft Punk / Lego crossover is finally here.... https://musically.com/2026/10/22/harder-better-faster-brickier-daft-punk-are-teaming-up-with-lego/

musically.comAnthropic takes on Meta Muse and OpenAI Dots with Claude DuetIt’s a strange moment for AI and humanity. Lots of headlines about how unregulated frontier-models could kill us all in the next decade – but of course, the big AI firms have some ideas on how that regulation should work – and growing unrest around the impact of the data centres those companies need to build for their next wave of growth.

Anthropic takes on Meta Muse and OpenAI Dots with Claude Duet It’s a strange moment for AI and humanity. Lots of headlines about how unregulated frontier-models could kill us all in the next decade… https://musically.com/2026/10/22/anthropic-takes-on-meta-muse-and-openai-dots-with-claude-duet/

musically.comSpotify Q3 2026 financial results reveal double-digit revenue and subscriber growthSpotify is closing in on the milestone of 800 million active users this side of Christmas, based on its Q3 2026 financial results.

Spotify Q3 2026 financial results reveal double-digit revenue and subscriber growth Spotify is closing in on the milestone of 800 million active users this side of Christmas, based on its Q3 2026 financial results.... https://musically.com/2026/10/22/spotify-q3-2026-financial-results/

musically.comUMG wants to make Jeff Satur ’T-Pop’s first global superstar’If you’re part of the western music industry, you might not have heard of Jeff Satur... but Universal Music Southeast Asia wants to change that.

UMG wants to make Jeff Satur ’T-Pop’s first global superstar’ If you’re part of the western music industry, you might not have heard of Jeff Satur... but Universal Music Southeast Asia wants to change… https://musically.com/2026/10/21/umg-wants-to-make-jeff-satur-t-pops-first-global-superstar/

musically.comSpotify has blocked 50m ‘slop and spam tracks’ from its recommendations this yearEarlier this month, a report from the Duke Sanford Tech Policy Program poked at Spotify's policies around AI-generated music.

Spotify has blocked 50m ‘slop and spam tracks’ from its recommendations this year Earlier this month, a report from the Duke Sanford Tech Policy Program poked at Spotify's policies… https://musically.com/2026/10/20/spotify-has-blocked-50m-slop-and-spam-tracks-from-its-recommendations-this-year/

musically.comApple acquires team behind ‘ultimate audio editor for musicians’One of the unexpected bonuses (for nosy journalists at least) of Europe's Digital Markets Act is that big tech companies have to publicly disclose some of their acquisitions, with the details published on the European Commission website.

Apple acquires team behind ‘ultimate audio editor for musicians’ One of the unexpected bonuses (for nosy journalists at least) of Europe's Digital Markets Act is that big tech companies have to… https://musically.com/2026/10/20/apple-acquires-team-behind-ultimate-audio-editor-for-musicians/

musically.comNew studies explore AI expectations, jobs impact and gender gapBeyond the AI-music debates that have been gripping our industry, there’s a lot to think about in terms of the other ways AI will affect our jobs and wider society. Several studies published in recent days offer new perspectives on that.

New studies explore AI expectations, jobs impact and gender gap Beyond the AI-music debates that have been gripping our industry, there’s a lot to think about in terms of the other ways AI will affect… https://musically.com/2026/10/19/new-studies-explore-ai-expectations-jobs-impact-and-gender-gap/

musically.comGoldman Sachs thinks music will be a $198.1bn industry by 2035How bright is the global music industry’s future? 198.1 billion dollars bright, according to the latest edition of the ‘Music In The Air’ report from Goldman Sachs.

Goldman Sachs thinks music will be a $198.1bn industry by 2035 How bright is the global music industry’s future? 198.1 billion dollars bright, according to the latest edition of the ‘Music In The Air’… https://musically.com/2026/10/16/goldman-sachs-thinks-music-will-be-a-198-1bn-industry-by-2035/

musically.comNMPA boss criticises Amazon Music over Phonorecords V filingThe filings are in for the ‘Phonorecords V’ process to set the mechanical-royalty rates for music streaming in the US for the next five years. And NMPA boss David Israelite is already on Instagram giving DSPs a piece of his mind for their proposals.

NMPA boss criticises Amazon Music over Phonorecords V filing The filings are in for the ‘Phonorecords V’ process to set the mechanical-royalty rates for music streaming in the US for the next five… https://musically.com/2026/10/15/nmpa-boss-criticises-amazon-music-over-phonorecords-v-filing/

musically.comReport highlights inequality in licensing and policing of London’s Black and South Asian music eventsUK-based organisation Black Lives in Music (BLiM) has launched a new report titled Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) - which it says is “the most comprehensive investigation to date into how licensing and policing shape the fortunes of Black and South Asian artists, promoters and venues in London.”

Report highlights inequality in licensing and policing of London’s Black and South Asian music events UK-based organisation Black Lives in Music (BLiM) has… https://musically.com/2026/10/14/report-highlights-inequality-in-licensing-and-policing-of-londons-black-and-south-asian-music-events/

musically.comPost-merger BMG doesn’t see itself as ‘the fourth major’ – for a good reasonBMG and Concord are now one company, but is it a merger or an acquisition? Chief transformation officer Kent Hoskins used another word when he appeared at this week’s Music Ally Publishing Summit. “I would suggest it’s a combination,” he said. “When you look at Concord and BMG as two organisations that have come together, we’re both about the same size as each other – we both, in 2026, will do about a billion dollars of revenue.”

Post-merger BMG doesn’t see itself as ‘the fourth major’ – for a good reason BMG and Concord are now one company, but is it a merger or an acquisition? Chief transformation officer Kent… https://musically.com/2026/10/14/post-merger-bmg-doesnt-see-itself-as-the-fourth-major-for-a-good-reason/

11 Sept

We’re pleased to partner with Matching Engine, Spanish Point Technologies’ enterprise platform for the music industry, helping Collective Management Organisations stay connected to the latest industry developments. Eligible CMO professionals can sign up: musically.lnk.to/CMOSignup

musically.comRole Model is first artist to use Spotify ‘Reserved’ ticketingSpotify’s next big step into ticketing is rolling out. ‘Reserved’ was announced last month at Spotify’s investor day in New York, and is now live for its premium subscribers in the US. As we explained then, it will see Spotify reserving two tickets for partner artists’ “most dedicated fans” then send emails and push-notifications inviting them to complete the purchase.

Role Model is first artist to use Spotify ‘Reserved’ ticketing Spotify’s next big step into ticketing is rolling out. ‘Reserved’ was announced last month at Spotify’s investor day in New York, and is…... https://musically.com/2026/06/19/role-model-is-first-artist-to-use-spotify-reserved-ticketing/

The ‘No Fakes Act’ is the proposed US legislation tackling unauthorised AI deepfakes, which was recently reintroduced for a third time in the Senate.... https://musically.com/2026/06/19/no-fakes-act-takes-its-next-step-towards-becoming-us-law/

musically.comReport highlights big-tech platforms’ role in spreading Indian ‘hate music’US-based non-profit The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) has published a report titled ‘Profiting from Hate Music: The Role of YouTube, Meta, Spotify and Apple Music in Hosting and Monetizing India’s Hate Music Industry’. The report has been co-written by Kunal Purohit, the author of the book ‘H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars’, which was published in 2023 and documented the rapid growth of the genre in India.

Report highlights big-tech platforms’ role in spreading Indian ‘hate music’ US-based non-profit The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) has published a report titled ‘...

musically.comUMG UK’s Rebecca Allen: ‘We’ve got to pivot, we’ve got to adapt’If you’re looking at how major labels are reshaping themselves for the next era, Rebecca Allen is one of the best primary sources.

UMG UK’s Rebecca Allen: ‘We’ve got to pivot, we’ve got to adapt’ If you’re looking at how major labels are reshaping themselves for the next era, Rebecca Allen is one of the best primary sources.... https://musically.com/2026/06/19/umg-uks-rebecca-allen-weve-got-to-pivot-weve-got-to-adapt/

musically.comHow do you stay current in the modern music industry? ‘Stay on TikTok four hours a day’Having built one of YouTube’s largest music-channel network, Andre Benz sold it to Create Music Group in 2022 then launched Broke Records.

How do you stay current in the modern music industry? ‘Stay on TikTok four hours a day’ Having built one of YouTube’s largest music-channel network, Andre Benz sold it to Create… https://musically.com/2026/06/19/how-do-you-stay-current-in-the-modern-music-industry-stay-on-tiktok-four-hours-a-day/

musically.comSoundCloud hails RepostExchange as a ‘bot-free’ promo toolDespite the best efforts of industry bodies like the IFPI – and its efforts have been strenuous – there are still many dodgy companies and websites offering ways to buy likes, followers and streams for artists. They’re all best avoided. SoundCloud wants to help its community of artists plot an ethical path through the promotional waters. It has just named…

18 June

SoundCloud hails RepostExchange as a ‘bot-free’ promo tool Despite the best efforts of industry bodies like the IFPI – and its efforts have been strenuous – there are still many dodgy companies and websites… https://musically.com/2026/06/18/soundcloud-hails-repostexchange-as-a-bot-free-promo-tool/

18 June

“64% of women worldwide are fans of live music. The opportunity is to support how they turn that fandom into more frequent attendance, spending, social connection, and repeat participation across the broader… https://musically.com/2026/06/18/her-frequency-report-studies-womens-value-for-live-music/

musically.comNew climate report shows labels’ progress towards reducing emissionsThe Music Climate Pact (MCP) has released an annual report detailing actions taken by participating labels towards reducing carbon emissions.

18 June

New climate report shows labels’ progress towards reducing emissions The Music Climate Pact (MCP) has released an annual report detailing actions taken by participating labels towards reducing… https://musically.com/2026/06/18/new-climate-report-shows-labels-progress-towards-reducing-emissions/

musically.comWatch out, YouTube: Spotify is launching direct full-length video uploads for artistsSpotify is rolling out the ability for artists to upload full-length videos to its service – enhancing its competition with YouTube.

Watch out, YouTube: Spotify is launching direct full-length video uploads for artists Spotify is rolling out the ability for artists to upload full-length videos to its service –… https://musically.com/2026/06/17/watch-out-youtube-spotify-is-launching-direct-full-length-video-uploads-for-artists/

musically.comThreads now has 500m monthly users (and some new features)Instagram’s Threads app raced to 100 million users in its first month after launch in July 2023. Now it has 500 million.

Threads now has 500m monthly users (and some new features) Instagram’s Threads app raced to 100 million users in its first month after launch in July 2023. Now it has 500 million.... https://musically.com/2026/06/17/threads-now-has-500m-monthly-users-and-some-new-features/

musically.comReport: Meta’s ‘monopoly’ of music-ad budgets is endingMusic marketing-tech company Ctrl+Reach has published a report analysing wider trends in the music industry's advertising spending.

Report: Meta’s ‘monopoly’ of music-ad budgets is ending Music marketing-tech company Ctrl+Reach has published a report analysing wider trends in the music industry's advertising spending.... https://musically.com/2026/06/17/report-metas-monopoly-of-music-ad-budgets-is-ending/

musically.comLive-focused superfans startup Swsh raises $4m funding roundSwsh is the latest superfan-focused music startup, but its focus is on a specific aspect of fandom: live experiences.

Live-focused superfans startup Swsh raises $4m funding round Swsh is the latest superfan-focused music startup, but its focus is on a specific aspect of fandom: live experiences.... https://musically.com/2026/06/17/live-focused-superfans-startup-swsh-raises-4m-funding-round/

musically.comRecord Store UK launches campaign to create a vinyl emojiThere isn’t an official emoji for vinyl, despite the format being nearly two decades into its sales revival. But that could change...

Record Store UK launches campaign to create a vinyl emoji There isn’t an official emoji for vinyl, despite the format being nearly two decades into its sales revival. But that could change...... https://musically.com/2026/06/17/record-store-uk-launches-campaign-to-create-a-vinyl-emoji/

musically.comMusic business ended 2025 with 921.6m paid streaming subscribersBy the end of this year, it’s quite possible that there will be more than one billion music subscribers globally.

By the end of this year, it’s quite possible that there will be more than one billion music subscribers globally – a milestone that seemed fanciful at best in the early days of streaming, but which is now just a staging post towards grander ambitions. The prediction is based on the latest report…

musically.comThe Atlantic uncovers ‘millions’ of songs used for AI trainingIt’s very clear that some AI-music services have trained their models on huge datasets of commercial music. But which songs exactly? That’s the question at the heart of lawsuits against Suno and Udio, and it’s also the subject of a fascinating investigation by The Atlantic’s ‘AI Watchdog’ project.

16 June

The Atlantic uncovers ‘millions’ of songs used for AI training It’s very clear that some AI-music services have trained their models on huge datasets of commercial music. But which songs exactly? That’s… https://musically.com/2026/06/16/the-atlantic-uncovers-millions-of-songs-used-for-ai-training/

16 June

Boy George, it turns out, IS a man with conviction... that AI can help artists rather than pose an existential threat to their livelihoods. He’s working with a new startup called Artist Included to… https://musically.com/2026/06/16/startup-artist-included-uses-ai-to-rework-culture-club-classic/

15 June

Hello, is it Lionel Richie’s vocal trademarks you’re looking for? Richie has become the latest artist to file trademark applications focused on his voice, in an effort to protect himself from… https://musically.com/2026/06/15/hello-is-it-lionel-richies-vocal-trademarks-youre-looking-for/

musically.comHere’s looking at you, Def Jam… Label expands in CasablancaUniversal Music Group’s global expansion of its Def Jam label continues, following previous launches in South-East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Sweden and China. Where to next? Of all the markets, in all the towns, in all the world, it’s launched in Casablanca with Def Jam Recordings North Africa. Its focus will be on the wider Maghreb region – the western part of North Africa that includes Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania.

12 June

Here’s looking at you, Def Jam… Label expands in Casablanca Universal Music Group’s global expansion of its Def Jam label continues, following previous launches in South-East Asia…... https://musically.com/2026/06/12/heres-looking-at-you-def-jam-label-expands-in-casablanca/

musically.comHow ‘Superfandom’ is Reshaping Music Streaming’s Next ChapterBy Con Raso, CEO and founder of music cloud platform Tuned Global.Streaming executives from SoundCloud, Audiomack, and Tuned Global say the future of music platforms lies in community, local scenes – and giving fans meaningful ways to participate, create, and shape what comes next. Streaming has been the dominant format for music consumption for more than a decade, and in that time, the focus of many conversations in the industry has largely centered on catalogue size, subscriber growth, and personalisation algorithms.

12 June

How ‘Superfandom’ is Reshaping Music Streaming’s Next Chapter By Con Raso, CEO and founder of music cloud platform Tuned Global.Streaming executives from SoundCloud, Audiomack, and Tuned Global say the… https://musically.com/2026/06/12/how-superfandom-is-reshaping-music-streamings-next-chapter/

musically.comSuno’s chief product officer defends ‘platform integrity’ policiesSuno is preparing to launch its first model based on music licensed from rightsholders: something its CEO Mikey Shulman trailed in his recent announcement of the company’s $400m funding round.

12 June

Suno is preparing to launch its first model based on music licensed from rightsholders: something its CEO Mikey Shulman trailed in his recent announcement of the company’s $400m funding round.... https://musically.com/2026/06/12/sunos-chief-product-officer-defends-platform-integrity-policies/

musically.comAnthropic’s Claude FM is a 24-7 music stream on YouTubeThus far, AI giant Anthropic’s main interaction with the music industry has been a legal battle with publishers, who are suing it for copyright infringement of their lyrics. More positively, Anthropic has worked with streaming services Spotify and Melon to integrate them into its Claude chatbot. But now, a surprise: it has quietly got into the ‘lo-fi music on YouTube’ space too.

Anthropic’s Claude FM is a 24-7 music stream on YouTube Thus far, AI giant Anthropic’s main interaction with the music industry has been a legal battle with publishers, who are suing it for copyright infringement of their lyrics....

musically.comPlayed By Humans is verifying ‘human artistry in an AI age’Label and live music company Jazz Is Dead is up to something interesting: and it’s all about trying to protect the human musicians who make jazz (and other genres) in the face of AI. It has launched an initiative called ‘Played By Humans’ that “verifies human artistry in an AI age with an authentication stamp delivered through our detection tool”.

Played By Humans is verifying ‘human artistry in an AI age’ Label and live music company Jazz Is Dead is up to something interesting: and it’s all about trying to protect the human musicians who make jazz… https://musically.com/2026/06/11/played-by-humans-is-verifying-human-artistry-in-an-ai-age/

musically.comFrancisco Partners exits its investment in Muse GroupMuse Group is the parent firm of brands and companies including Ultimate Guitar, Hal Leonard, MuseScore and Audacity among others: a key company in the music-education and tech space. Its acquisition of Hal Leonard in December 2023 was backed by funding from private-equity firm Francisco Partners. Two and a half years later, the latter is exiting the investment – although it’s all on friendly terms.

Francisco Partners exits its investment in Muse Group Muse Group is the parent firm of brands and companies including Ultimate Guitar, Hal Leonard, MuseScore and Audacity among others: a key company in the music-education and tech space....

musically.comDeezer debuts ‘AI music detector’ for playlists… on all DSPsDeezer continues to lean in hard to its technology for detecting AI-generated music – and then generating headlines about its scale. The latest example being an ‘AI music detector’ for people’s playlists, even if they use rival streaming services. Pitched with the question “how much AI music is there in your playlists?” it encourages people to use its existing TuneMyMusic-powered playlist-transfer feature to import playlists from a range of other services, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and SoundCloud.

Deezer debuts ‘AI music detector’ for playlists… on all DSPs Deezer continues to lean in hard to its technology for detecting AI-generated music – and then generating headlines about its scale....

musically.comNMPA strikes Udio and Klay AI deals and reveals US revenuesWe’ve seen a growing slate of deals between major labels and AI-music companies that include the former’s publishing arms. Now US music-publishers body the NMPA has announced two of its own agreements: with Udio and Klay. The deals were revealed by CEO David Israelite at the NMPA’s annual meeting yesterday (10 June) – and the Udio deal has one notable term.

NMPA strikes Udio and Klay AI deals and reveals US revenues We’ve seen a growing slate of deals between major labels and AI-music companies that include the former’s publishing arms....

musically.comMadverse raises investment round led by Kobalt’s Willard AhdritzDelhi-headquartered music distribution, publishing and marketing company Madverse Music Group has closed its first institutional funding round, led by Ahdritz Capital, the investment vehicle of entrepreneur and the founder-chairman of the Kobalt Music Group Willard Ahdritz. The round—through which Madverse has raised an undisclosed amount—also saw participation from Mohnish Sani and Suraj Sani from US-based SumoSan Ventures; Ashish Jain and Sidharth Kohli from Indian consulting firm 10X Global; and Vijay Sajjanhar from UAE-based investment company Marigold Capital.

Madverse raises investment round led by Kobalt’s Willard Ahdritz Delhi-headquartered music distribution, publishing and marketing company Madverse Music Group has closed its first institutional funding round, led by Ahdritz Capital, the investment vehicle of entrepreneur and the founder-chairman…

musically.comMusic prediction is a $400m market in 2026 so far – on one platformWhat if you could use your knowledge of upcoming release schedules, quiet insider chats with artist teams, your skill at reading Chartmetric data – or anything else in the music business that you were pretty certain about – to place bets? For instance, if you were very sure that Taylor Swift will get the most streams on Spotify in June…

9 June

Music prediction is a $400m market in 2026 so far – on one platform What if you could use your knowledge of upcoming release schedules, quiet insider chats with artist teams, your skill at reading Chartmetric data – or anything else in the music business that you were pretty certain about – to…

musically.comContent Editor – Warp Records – LondonWarp is looking for a social-first creative to join our team in London, helping bring our Artists’ stories to life across digital platforms. You’ll be a creative all rounder and skilled in visual storytelling, bringing solid experience creating short form video, graphic design, motion graphics and imagery. Based within the Digital Communications team, you’ll work fluidly with other departments, including A&R, Streaming, Marketing and E-Commerce, delivering creative for social media, mailers, websites and beyond.

Content Editor – Warp Records – London Warp is looking for a social-first creative to join our team in London, helping bring our Artists’ stories to life across digital platforms.... https://musically.com/2026/06/08/content-editor-warp-records-london/

musically.comCurated music-streaming service Cantilever raises £250k from independent labelsUK-based startup Cantilever has raised £250k of pre-seed funding from a group of 20 independent labels and individuals from those companies.

Curated music-streaming service Cantilever raises £250k from independent labels UK-based startup Cantilever has raised £250k of pre-seed funding from a group of 20 independent labels… https://musically.com/2026/06/08/curated-music-streaming-service-cantilever-raises-250k-from-independent-labels/

musically.comAmerican Federation of Musicians sues majors over AI dealsUS-based musicians’ union the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has launched a lawsuit against UMG and WMG over their AI deals.

American Federation of Musicians sues majors over AI deals US-based musicians’ union the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has launched a lawsuit against UMG and WMG over their AI deals.... https://musically.com/2026/06/08/american-federation-of-musicians-sues-majors-over-ai-deals/

musically.comAbbey Road REDD showcases music-tech startups at SXSW LondonLast week, Abbey Road REDD Labs presented its latest showcase of music-tech startups at SXSW London, in a ‘Studio Four’ event.

Abbey Road REDD showcases music-tech startups at SXSW London Last week, Abbey Road REDD Labs presented its latest showcase of music-tech startups at SXSW London, in a ‘Studio Four’ event.... https://musically.com/2026/06/08/abbey-road-redd-showcases-music-tech-startups-at-sxsw-london/

musically.comDespite dying 30 years ago, Tupac Shakur is acting in a new gameActing in games – voice but also motion-capture and likeness – is a growing opportunity for actors. Tupac Shakur included, despite being dead.

Despite dying 30 years ago, Tupac Shakur is acting in a new game Acting in games – voice but also motion-capture and likeness – is a growing opportunity for actors. Tupac Shakur included, despite… https://musically.com/2026/06/08/despite-dying-30-years-ago-tupac-shakur-is-acting-in-a-new-game/

musically.comMerlin and Jamen Capital are buying Curve Royalty Systems from UMGUniversal Music Group agreed to divest (sell) Downtown Music subsidiary Curve Royalty Systems. Now we know the buyers.

Merlin and Jamen Capital are buying Curve Royalty Systems from UMG Universal Music Group agreed to divest (sell) Downtown Music subsidiary Curve Royalty Systems. Now we know the buyers.... https://musically.com/2026/06/08/merlin-and-jamen-capital-are-buying-curve-royalty-systems-from-umg/

musically.comSonoSuite and Feature·fm team up in marketing-automation dealTwo of the companies working on the infrastructure of digital music-marketing have announced a partnership: Feature·fm and SonoSuite.

SonoSuite and Feature·fm team up in marketing-automation deal Two of the companies working on the infrastructure of digital music-marketing have announced a partnership: Feature·fm and… https://musically.com/2026/06/08/sonosuite-and-feature%c2%b7fm-team-up-in-marketing-automation-deal/