Digital Music News – studio recording, publishing, streaming, live concerts, talent development

The latest music news from Digital Music News, affecting recording industry, music publishing, mp3 streaming, concert industry, talent development, venture capital, and music technology, with reporting on artists new releases and where to get new mp3 songs.

1. Daniel Ek Promises More Subscription Options and Bundles Ahead As Spotify’s ‘Value-to-Price Ratio’ Gets Rejiggered

   Spotify CEO Daniel Ek promises more subscription options and bundles ahead as the platform’s ‘value-to-price ratio’ gets reconfigured. Spotify has been under fire for a lot of its decisions as of late, not least of all the company’s pivot to audiobooks in a bizarre pricing structure and its shuffling of its overall pricing tiers. The […]

2. Taylor Swift Surpasses One-Week Spotify Streaming Record — Apple Music, Amazon Music Records Trickle In

   Taylor Swift makes another sweep of music streaming record-breaking, surpassing Spotify’s one-week streaming record, while similar records from Apple Music and Amazon Music trickle in.’ Taylor Swift knows all too well how to break records, and she’s already broken several more with her latest release, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) and its 31-track Anthology. The […]

3. Alleged Diddy Drug Mule Brendan Paul Pleads Not Guilty As Diddy Remains Untouched

   Diddy’s alleged drug mule Brendan Paul pleads not guilty as the music mogul remains untouched, while his legal team focuses on the character of accuser Lil Rod. Brendan Paul, the 25-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player accused of serving as a “drug mule” for music and business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, was formally arraigned in […]

4. Believe Posts Double-Digit Q1 2024 Revenue Growth, Doubles Down on Acquisition Strategy

   As it moves closer to exiting the public market, Believe has revealed “solid” financials for Q1 2024, when revenue jumped nearly 16% year over year (YoY). Paris-based Believe posted its first-quarter financials today, less than one week after an EQT-led consortium took another key step towards privatizing the business. That play is seemingly set to […]

5. Miranda Lambert Inks with Republic/UMG in Big Loud Partnership — New Album Plus Stagecoach Next

   Miranda Lambert signs with Republic Records/UMG in a deal with Big Loud, hot on the heels of the release of her latest solo music and an upcoming appearance at Stagecoach Festival. After wrapping up her twice-extended Velvet Rodeo residency in Las Vegas, Miranda Lambert inks a deal with Republic Records, including support from Nashville-based Big […]

6. Luminate/Billboard Revamps Physical Sales Tracking After Howls of Protest from Record Stores

   Following an outcry of how Luminate gathers physical sales data from record stores, the data analytics body will now work with independent partners to gather that data. The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), and Department of Record Stores (DORS), who work together as Record Store Day, The Music […]

7. The Weeknd Cancels Australian Leg of ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ Stadium Tour

   Last year in November, The Weeknd announced he was postponing the Australia & New Zealand leg of his ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour. Now that leg has been cancelled entirely with full refunds offered. The original postponement was describes as ‘unforeseen circumstances’ and the cancellation email received by ticket holders does not give an official […]

8. Hipgnosis Bidding War Heats Up! Concord Ups Its Offer Against Blackstone to $1.51 Billion

   Let the bidding war commence! After getting one-upped by Blackstone, Concord is now back with a slightly better all-cash bid of $1.51 billion. Over the weekend, Blackstone bested Concord Chorus’ $1.4 billion all-cash offer for Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited with a juicier $1.5 billion offer. Now, Concord is quickly responding with a slightly-better, $1.51 billion offer. […]

9. Warner Music Sells Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine to Media Trio—will.i.am, Jarret Myer, Rich Antoniello

   Warner Music Group has sold its media properties Uproxx, HipHopDX, and Dime Magazine to media veterans Jarret Myer, Rich Antoniello, and will.i.am. The trio have formed UPROXX Studios to manage these properties. The creation of UPROXX Studios also includes the exclusive license to represent WMG’s coveted YouTube inventory for all media sales in the United […]

10. It’s Official: The TikTok Ban Bill Has Been Signed Into Law by President Biden — Let the Legal Battle Begin

    Despite TikTok’s lobbying efforts and a multimillion-dollar ad campaign opposing the measure, the forced-sale bill has officially been signed into law. The Senate only recently voted in favor of the modified legislation – and a number of other measures – following the House’s approval over the weekend. And in keeping with past indications of support […]

11. Where Will You Stand After the TikTok Ban? DMN Pro Subscribers Already Have a Handle On This Question

    The music industry is pondering what happens next as the ink dries on President Biden’s authorization of a Congressional bill that includes a TikTok divestiture order. DMN Pro subscribers have already parsed through a detailed breakdown of the potential winners and losers following a TikTok ban, thanks to our exhaustive white paper on the topic. For those just tuning […]

12. Spotify Stock (NYSE: SPOT) Returns to Earth Following Post-Earnings Surge — But Where Will Shares Go from Here?

    Yesterday, Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) shot up to a 52-week high of almost $320 per share after the streaming platform unveiled seemingly strong Q1 2024 earnings. Now, SPOT has come back down to Earth, slipping well beneath the $300 mark. At the time of writing, Spotify stock was hovering around $281 per share, representing a […]

13. Drake Used AI to Re-Create Tupac’s Voice In His Kendrick Lamar Diss Track — Now Tupac’s Family Is Responding

    Drake borrowed Tupac’s voice to hype up Kendrick Lamar to respond to his diss track dropped line dubbed, “Taylor Made.” Now Tupac’s brother has responded. It’s worth noting that a release like this would be illegal under Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which bans the use of AI-generated voices without express permission. A separate provision of that […]

14. Sony Music Publishing Nashville Signs Randall King to Global Deal

    Sony Music Publishing Nashville announces the signing of West Texas’ Randall King to a global publishing agreement — after the country star has amassed over 300 million streams. Celebrated as country music’s “neo-traditional figurehead,” Randall King has emerged as one of today’s promising new voices in country music, accumulating over 300 million streams with singles […]

15. Primary Wave Acquires Neil Finn’s Music Publishing Catalog, Plus a Piece of Crowded House’s IP

    Primary Wave Music announces a partnership with Neil Finn, founding member of the band Crowded House, in a deal that sees Primary Wave acquire Finn’s music publishing catalog, plus a piece of Crowded House’s IP. The new multi-million-dollar deal will see the leading independent publisher acquiring Finn’s music publishing catalog and writer’s share of public […]