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. It’s Official: Primary Wave to Acquire Kobalt In Landmark, Multi-Billion Dollar Publishing Deal

   In a move that significantly reshapes the music publishing landscape, Primary Wave Music has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kobalt from Francisco Partners. The deal, which includes a strategic investment from Brookfield, was confirmed this morning to Digital Music News this morning via email by both Primary Wave and Kobalt. The deal immediately brings […]

2. Chance the Rapper Dodges a $4 Million Bullet In Long-Running Ex-Manager Lawsuit

   Chance the Rapper’s five-year-plus legal battle with his former manager is finally over, and he gets $35 out of the deal. And no, that’s not a typo. After more than five years, Chance the Rapper’s legal battle with his former manager, Pat Corcoran (AKA, Pat the Manager), finally came to an end on Friday. A […]

3. Fallout from Trump’s Live Nation Settlement Continues: Klobuchar’s Antitrust Accountability and Transparency Act’ is Officially On the Books

   Senators pitch legislation to strengthen antitrust settlement procedures after finding the DOJ’s settlement with Live Nation to be lacking. Not only do the state attorneys general find the Department of Justice’s recent settlement with Live Nation lacking, so do senators. Now, they’re pitching legislation to strengthen proceedings for antitrust-related settlements altogether to avoid the same...

4. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Bans Chappell Roan After Ugly Incident Involving Brazilian Soccer Star’s Stepdaughter

   Chappell Roan is banned from Rio de Janeiro by the city’s mayor after an incident that made a Brazilian soccer star’s 11-year-old stepdaughter cry. Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello put Chappell Roan on blast after a member of the singer’s security allegedly caused his 11-year-old stepdaughter to cry. Now, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere […]

5. Justin Timberlake’s Sag Harbor Arrest Footage Released Despite Singer’s Attempts to Block It

   Footage of Justin Timberlake’s June 2024 traffic stop, field sobriety test, and subsequent arrest was released despite his legal efforts to block it. On Friday, Justin Timberlake’s June 2024 DWI arrest footage was released despite the former *NSYNC star’s legal attempt to block it. The footage’s release came after Timberlake reached a settlement with the […]

6. Man Claiming to Be a Roblox Programmer Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

   A man claiming to work for Roblox was arrested for possession of child pornography and a child sex doll, according to the Louisiana Attorney General. On Friday, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office announced that a man claiming to be a Roblox programmer was arrested for possession of child pornography and a “child-sized sex doll.” Arrest […]

7. Trump Administration Releases ‘Comprehensive National Legislative Framework on AI’ — With US States Leapfrogged Entirely

   The White House publishes a National AI Legislative Framework, and at least one copyright advocate is applauding the government for taking action to protect IP. Individual states are far less enthusiastic, however. On Friday, the Trump administration released an artificial intelligence (AI) policy urging lawmakers to enact legislation ahead of states imposing their own rules, […]

8. The Michael Smith Streaming Fraud Case Is a Wrap — But Are DSPs Equipped to Stop Similar Schemes in the AI Age?

   One guilty plea later, the federal wire fraud case against streaming scammer Michael Smith is a wrap. But have DSPs remedied the shortcomings that allowed the multimillion-dollar scheme to unfold? Though not quite new, this and related questions are now taking center stage. Ahead of a scheduled October trial, Smith yesterday entered a guilty plea […]

9. Ontario ‘Puts Scalpers on Notice’ With Its Most Extreme Resale Restriction Proposals Yet

   The Ontario government is now planning to ban reselling live event tickets for more than their original price, after promising to revisit the matter in October. Onario Premier Doug Ford now plans to ban the resale of live event tickets above their face value, including fees, service charges, and taxes. The government’s proposal would apply […]

10. Latest Music Industry Hires: AudioSalad, Nomos, Clifford Antone Foundation, iHeartMedia, LVRN Records, whynow, More

    Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of March 20th, 2026. If you have a job shuffle to share, we’re all ears. Send us a note to news@digitalmusicnews.com. If you’d like to post a job on our Job Board, just send us a request to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. And, keep track of all the […]

11. Suddenly-Profitable Deezer Renews Sonos Collaboration

    Fresh streaming music DSP Deezer and Sonos have just announced the renewal of their longstanding partnership, expanding their collaboration to include its revamped Deezer for Business. Deezer cited a panoply of distribution partnerships as helping the platform finally achieve profitability. During its recent earnings call, Deezer announced the renewal of its longstanding partnership with Sonos,...

12. Indie Label Owner Says Streaming Has Failed ‘The Middle Class of Musicians’ — But Maybe There’s a Solution

    Streaming has failed “the ‘middle class’ of musicians” – at least according to Hopeless Records founder Louis Posen, who’s calling for major changes to the current pro-rata compensation model. Posen took aim at streaming’s shortcomings – and floated an interesting solution – in a blog post entitled “The Digital Paradox.” Technically, said post was attributed […]

13. Warner Music Group Inks Netflix Partnership — With a Slate of WMG-Inked Artist Documentaries On Deck

    WMG and Netflix strike a creative partnership with an exclusive multi-year deal that sees the streamer making documentaries about Warner artists. Warner Music Group (WMG) and Netflix have formed a creative partnership under an exclusive multi-year first-look deal that will see the streamer create documentary series and films exploring the lives and music of WMG’s […]

14. After Taylor, Target Scores Major BTS Exclusive Spanning Vinyl, CDs, Merch

    BTS partners with Target to release several exclusive merch items, vinyl with unique variant art, CDs with collectible photocards, and more. Like Taylor Swift before them, K-pop megastar group BTS has partnered with Target for a release of several exclusive merchandise items to capitalize on the highly anticipated release of their new album, ARIRANG. These […]

15. Mixed Growth Picture Continues in Europe—Italy and Sweden Reveal Strikingly Different Recorded Music Stats from 2025

    Italy’s recorded music market grew substantially in 2025, doubling the European average growth rate and surpassing global trends by a wide margin. Last year was a mixed bag for Europe’s recorded music market, with Italy showing impressive growth year-over-year and doubling the European average. Meanwhile, like much of Europe, Sweden remained “stable.” Its subscription-based audio […]